The History of the Hunger Games 2
by Alexis2259
Summary: A sequel to my first story, The History of the Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

I lay in the hammock, swaying side to side. In about 4 days, Marcus and I will be going on the victory tour to every state.

Since we got back, Marcus bought a house close to mine since he used to live an hour away. Now we see each other all the time, practically inseparable. Jane and Becca have become best friends. My father, mother, and my brother and sister all love Marcus. His family loves me; Jane has pretty much become my second sister.

Everything seems perfect, but we both still have those sleepless nights where we are waken by nightmares of the arena. When I'm reminded of Sarah, Evan, and Kennedie.

I spend the night at his house often, though, because the nightmares come less often when I'm with him. Since we don't have to go to school, we don't have much to do and usually end up spending time at each other's homes. We barely ever go outside our homes because we have become something like celebrities. The first victors of The Hunger Games, America's lovers. I have even seen us on a few posters, mostly Marcus though. He's the one whose face is on teenage girls' walls across the country. I try to ignore it when a girl comes up and asks for a picture with him, but I'm only human, and jealousy kicks in. So we avoid public situations as much as possible.

I stare up for a while before I get up and walk back home. It is abnormally warm for November, and I don't even need a jacket. I walk in the door and see lunch is set up at the table. Hot dogs and some macaroni. We have enough money to buy expensive, fancy meals, but we prefer to keep things as normal as they used to be.

"Hey darling. Just in time for lunch." Father says. I pull out a chair and grab a plate. I hear a knock and jump up to get the door. I open the door and Marcus and Jane are standing outside. Jane gives me a hug and runs over to Becca.

"Hey." Marcus says, and he gives me a kiss.

"Hi. You're just in time. Are you two hungry?" I ask. He nods and we go to the table and sit down. He sits next to me and I hand him a plate. Becca and Jane are talking about school. Since they moved up here, Becca and Jane go to the same school. They got put in the same class. We all sit and talk and eat for a while.

"So tomorrow, I thought me and you would go to your favorite restaurant for breakfast." Father says. It's a tradition he has, taking everyone to their favorite restaurant for their birthday. Tomorrow I will be turning seventeen.

"Sounds great." I say.

Marcus leans over and whispers in my ear.

"I have a special surprise for you after that." He says. I smile.

"Secrets are for people who have something to hide." Daniel says sarcastically.

I scoop up some macaroni on my fork and fling it at him.

"We were planning that." I say. And this starts a food fight between me and him. Some misfired pieces hit everyone, so they join in. Hot dogs and macaroni are flying everywhere. Everyone is laughing, except for mother. She is more serious than father, who is laughing and flinging food like the rest of us. When a piece of hotdog hits her, she slams her fork on the table.

"Ok that's enough. Who's cleaning this up?" She says, angry. Everyone looks at me. Looks like I'm the one cleaning.

"Annelise." Mother says, giving me the look that lets me know that I need to start cleaning. I give a sorry smile.

"I'm on it." I say, quickly picking up the plates and silverware. Everyone is suppressing laughter, until mother gives them the 'look'. Everyone gets up from the table and heads to the living room, except for Marcus, who helps me clean. We end up scraping food off the walls, floor, table, and we have to use a broom to get some macaroni off the ceiling.

We keep hitting it until it falls, landing right on Marcus's face. I start laughing hysterically, falling on the floor. He's not laughing, but he suppresses a smile. I grab a paper towel and clean him up.

"Now you smell like cheese." I say, giggling.

"Great." He says, sarcastically.

When we are finished, we join everyone in the living room. We sit, and his arm automatically goes around my waist, holding me close. On the TV, they are doing some promos for the tour. I quickly flip the channel. It's just another reminder of the games.

"Are you guys excited?" Becca asks. Our silence is our answer. We will travel to every state, starting in Louisiana, going alphabetically, and ending in our state. We will make a stop in Washington D.C. right before we have the celebration in our state. It's required for everyone to watch. Each celebration is held in the state's capitol, and citizens of that city are required to attend.

We are required to give a speech at each stop. The government has given us speeches, so we don't have to make them, but we can throw in a little extra if we were allies with the tribute. What I'm dreading the most is facing the families of the dead tributes. Especially my aunt and Sarah's family. I try to avoid thinking about the games as much as possible, but even the smallest things are a constant reminder. The pink mark on my stomach from the burn, the scar on my leg, the nightmares. Even Becca reminds me of Sarah…

Sometimes, the nightmares are so bad, I just lie in bed all day staring at the wall. Some days I can go without thinking about them.

I lay my head on Marcus's lap and tuck my legs up. He rubs my arm, and we all sit in silence and watch TV. Becca and Jane go up to Becca's room, and after a while, Daniel gets a call from his friend and he leaves to go to his friend's house. I fall asleep after some time.

I wake up in the middle of the night. I'm by myself on the couch, covered with a blanket. I get up and walk to my bedroom and fall onto the bed. Marcus probably had to take Jane home. I fall back asleep and wake up again in the morning. I yawn and sit up, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I get in the shower and get dressed.

I walk down the steps and into the living room, where everyone, including Marcus and Jane, are waiting for me.

"Good morning, darling. Happy Birthday!" Father exclaims. He come and gives me a hug and kisses the top of my head. Everyone else wishes me a happy birthday, with hugs and kisses.

"Are you ready?" Father asks, and I nod. I wave goodbye to everyone and we hop into his truck and go to get breakfast. It's a small family-owned restaurant in town. We go here every year on my birthday, and I order the same thing.

Once we take our seat, our waitress comes and takes our orders. I get scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausage. Dad orders a pancake that is too big to fit completely on the plate.

"Another year older. I remember when I had to change your diaper." He says.

"Dad, you say the same thing every year." I say, smiling.

"Well it's true. You used to be the cutest thing. Now you're all grown up, beautiful, with a boyfriend, more money than you can handle, and been through the unthinkable. But no matter what, you will always be my baby girl." He says. I'm smiling like an idiot now. I get up and go over to hug him.

"I know I will." I say. "I love you dad."

"I love you too darling." He says.

I sit back down and finish my food. When were done, we pay and leave.


	2. Chapter 2

I walk into the house and mother calls us into the kitchen. Everyone is sitting at the table, with a cake in the middle. Seventeen candles line the edge with 'Happy Birthday Annelise' written in the middle. The candles are lit and everyone starts to sing. I smile and blow out the candles, making a wish. Everyone claps, and Marcus comes up to me and hugs me.

"Happy birthday Sapphire." He says. I give him a kiss.

"So what's my surprise?" I ask.

"You'll find out soon." He says.

Jane and Becca come and hug me, and Daniel comes up after. We all grab a piece of cake and sit in the living room and eat.

"Annelise, me and Jane got you something for your birthday." Becca says, and pulls out a small box, wrapped in blue wrapping paper. I rip off the paper and open the box. Inside, is a locket in the shape of a heart. I open the locket and find a picture of my family on one side, and my new family on the other.

"Thank you guys so much. It's perfect." I say. I get up and hug them both, and I put it around my neck. I run my finger over the smooth gold surface. Someone knocks on the door and I go get it. I open it and find Kaitlynn standing outside with a bag.

"Happy birthday Annelise!" She exclaims. She hugs me and I lead her to the living room. She hands me the bag and I open it. I start laughing as I pull out the contents of the bag. We have a tradition of buying each other funny stuffed animals for each other's birthday. She got me a stuffed monkey with eyes bigger than its head.

"Thank you, Kaitlynn." I say, still laughing. I squeeze it in my arms.

"Nice and soft."

We all talk and laugh for a while.

At sunset, Kaitlynn has to go and I invite Jane and Marcus to spend the night. They agree and Becca and Jane retire to Becca's room for the night. Mother goes to clean up the kitchen, and father and Daniel plop down on the couch and watch TV.

Marcus grabs me by my hand.

"Time for your surprise." He says. "Close your eyes, and don't open them until I say."

I obey and he leads me outside. The evening air is a little chilly, but there's still no need for a jacket.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Were almost there." He replies.

We walk and walk until he tells me I can open my eyes.

We are at a clearing in the woods, and a blanket has been laid out with candles surrounding the blanket and a basket in the center. A picnic in the woods.

He wraps his fingers into mine and leads me over to sit down. He pulls a rose out of the basket and hands it to me.

"Well aren't you romantic." I say, teasingly.

He pulls out two plates and some food. I see he brought us strawberries, salad, chicken, and some sparkling apple cider. Were both smiling, nothing breaking the smiles off our faces.

"This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." I say.

He gets up and pulls his guitar out from behind the tree. He plays a soft, slow song. He was very modest when he said he was pretty good. He is amazing.

When he finishes, he lays the guitar down.

"Wait, there's more." He tells me.

He pulls out a present from the basket, and hands it to me.

"I got you a little something." He says, and hands me the present. I rip open the wrapping. Inside is a picture frame. The frame is sliver and has Marcus and my name engraved at the top. A picture of us is inside the frame.

"Marcus, this is amazing. I absolutely love it. Thank you so much." I say. I scoot over and give him a hug. He whispers in my ear.

"I love you Annelise."

I lift my head up. I look into his crystal blue eyes.

"I love you too." I say, and then I kiss him. He pulls me back in, holding me close to him, for a long, tender kiss. It feels like the kiss from the games, the one that made my body tingle, that felt like fire. We stay like this, only coming up for air every now and then. I don't want it to end, and it doesn't for the longest time.

When we finally stop, he lies down on the ground and I place my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and I listen to his steady heartbeat. I can say without a doubt that this has been the best day of my life. We fall asleep out in the woods, not caring about anything else, except each other.

I wake up, and the sun has already risen. Marcus is already awake, and his arms are still around me.

"Good morning, beautiful." He says. I smile and kiss him.

"Good morning. Thank you. For everything." I say.

We get up and pack up everything. I carry the picture and rose in one hand, and Marcus's hand in the other. We walk back to my house and find that mother has already set breakfast out.

When she sees us, she raises an eyebrow.

"It's good to see you two. Where were you last night?" She asks.

"Marcus set up a picnic out in the woods, and we fell asleep." I say.

"What's that in your hand?"

I hold up the picture for her to see.

"Marcus got it for me. Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's lovely. That was very sweet of you Marcus." Mother says.

He thanks her and we sit down to eat our breakfast. Everyone files in, asking about the surprise and where we were. I answer the same way I did with mother. We eat and when I finish I put my plate in the sink. I grab a vase and fill it with water, and walk to my room.

I place the vase and my picture frame on the nightstand by my bed. I pick up the phone in my room and call Kaitlynn. I know she wants to hear all about last night.


	3. Chapter 3

I sit criss-cross at the end of my bed, phone in hand.

I wait as the phone rings. Finally, Kaitlynn picks up.

"Hey Kaitlynn." I say.

She yawns on the other end.

"Hey Annelise. So how was last night?" She asks.

"Perfect. It was the best night of my life. He set up a picnic in the woods and played me a song on his guitar. He gave me a rose and a beautiful picture frame with a picture of us in it." I say.

"Aw. Anything else?" She asks.

"He told me he loved me." I say.

I can hear her squeal on the other end.

"Oh my goodness. What did you say back?" She says.

"I said it back." I say.

"Aw! You two are so cute together." She says. We sit and talk a while longer, until Marcus bursts into my room.

"Annelise, there's something you should see." He says. He look on his face tells me its not good news. I stay on the phone with Kaitlynn and he flips on the TV to a news anchor.

"The president has announced a new rule in the Hunger Games. The victors of the games will be the mentors to the tributes from their state, until new victors are declared for their state. So we will be seeing more of America's sweethearts, Annelise Stague and Marcus Williams as the mentors of Kentucky's tributes." The news anchor says.

My mouth drops open. Marcus and I will have to be mentors to two children. We will be the possible difference between life and death for them. We will have to watch them fight for their lives. And more than likely, we will have to watch them be killed.

"Annelise, what's wrong?" Kaitlynn says through the other line.

"Kaitlynn, I have to call you back later." I say, and then hang up the phone. Marcus wraps his arms around me, and I bury my face in his shirt.

"I can't do this. I want to forget about those games. Now I will have a constant reminder." I say. He doesn't say anything, he just smoothes my hair.

"Does my father know?" I ask. He walks in.

"Yea, I just found out." Father says.

"How did you do it? I don't know if I can handle it." I say, still holding onto Marcus.

"You're brave enough and smart enough. You can do it." He says.

I guess I have no choice but to do it, so I try not to dwell on it. I thought the worst I would have to endure was watching the games, not being apart of them again. Over and over, until someone else is crowned victor.

I push the thoughts of this aside. I have a whole six months to think about it, and I have to think about the victory tour. Tomorrow my prep team and stylists will be back to prepare me and camera crews will flood my house. I need to be ready.

Father leaves my room, but I have Marcus stay with me. I pick the phone back up and call Kaitlynn. She picks up almost immediately.

"What happened?" She asks.

"I just found out some bad news. Marcus and I have to be Kentucky's mentors." I say.

"What? I'm sorry. Are you going to be ok?" She asks.

"I haven't been fully 'ok' since the games started. But I'll manage." I say,

"I know it's hard, but just remember that it will all be ok in the end."

"I hope your right. Well I got to go. Wish me luck for tomorrow." I say.

"Good luck. Talk to you later." And she hangs up.

I put the phone down and fall down backwards onto my bed, letting out a huff as I do. Marcus sits next to me.

"This is going to be a stressful trip." I say.

"We can make it a fun trip." He says.

I roll my eyes.

"Yea. Giving speeches in front of people that wish we were dead. Fun." I say sarcastically.

He lets out a small laugh.

"No one wants us dead. They just… want other people alive instead." He says.

"Exactly." I say.

He lies down next to me.

"You're too likable to be hated. And anyone who does hate you, doesn't know you." He says.

I turn my head and face him. I smile and kiss him.

"Thanks. I just hope you're right." I say.

We get up and head down to the living room. No one is in there, so we sit down and watch TV. I lay my head down on his lap and he plays with my hair. On the TV, a movie is playing. I don't know the name of it, but it's funny. It takes my mind off of the tour and my newly acquired job. Jane and Becca come in and sit down next to my feet.

We all watch and laugh until it's over. By the time its over, mother has already set up lunch. Cheese pizza. I grab two slices and take my seat between Marcus and Daniel.

"You have a little sauce on your chin." Marcus says. He picks up a napkin and wipes my chin. I think back to the tributes' dinner our first day in D.C.

"Thanks." I say.

When we're done, I pick up everyone's plate and take it to the sink.

"Annelise, will you wash the dishes?" Mother asks. I know that means 'Do the dishes.'

"Yes mother." I say. Marcus comes up next to me and helps.

"So what do you need me to do?" He asks.

"Can you dry them?" I ask. He nods and I toss him a towel.

I start washing them, and forget to turn off the water, so the sink starts overflowing and spilling bubble and water all over the floor.

"I am in so much trouble." I say. I go to grab the mop. When I come back, I slip in the water. I grab onto Marcus, but he falls with me. I scream and a few dishes fall onto the floor and breaks. We are both laughing, until my mother walks in. She looks alarmed, then she fills with anger. We both stop laughing immediately. She gives me her 'look' and I know I have to clean this up. Marcus stands up and grabs my hand to help me up.

I go to stand up, but step on one of the broken dishes. I immediately jerk my foot up and blood starts flowing immediately. I start to fall back down, but Marcus catches me, and scoops me up. Mother grabs a towel and some tweezers. He sits me down in the dining room on a chair.

"This really hurts." I say. I look at my foot and see at least three large pieces in my foot, and a bunch of other small pieces. Mother comes and starts pulling pieces out of my foot. Daniel and father come in.

"What's going on in here?" Father asks.

"We had a little dish washing mishap." Marcus says. Daniel is laughing.

"It's not funny." I say, but he is still laughing. Marcus is suppressing laughter. I smack his arm.

"What was that for?" He says.

"It's not funny." I say.

"I wasn't laughing!" He says, defensively.

"You were trying not to." Daniel adds. We both glare at him. He looks at both of us and walks out of the room. I flinch as mother pulls the pieces out. When she's done, she puts some anti-infection cream on it and wraps my entire foot in some bandage. It looks like I'm wearing a sock that doesn't cover my toes.

"Ok, this is going to be sore for a while. I would recommend not walking on it for a while." She says.

"But I have to! We have the victory tour, and I have to be able to walk! I'm sure it will be fine." I say. I hop off of the chair and try to stand. Pain shoots up my leg and I sit back down.

"Ouch! Ok, maybe not. But what am I going to do? Walk with crutches?" I say.

Father goes out to the garage and brings back a pair of crutches from when Daniel broke his ankle playing sports.

"Here you go." He says, handing them to me.

"Great." I say sarcastically. I grab them and get up. I feel like I'm babying it, but ever since I have been in the arena, I haven't taken many risks.

"Well, maybe Amber can fix them to match my outfits." I say.

Mother goes to clean up the mess we made and Marcus carries me up to my room. He lays me down on the bed.

The sun is starting to set, so I decide to go ahead and go to bed.

"I have to get home, but I will see you tomorrow." Marcus says. He leans down and gives me a kiss.

"Ok. I love you." I say.

"I love you too." He says, and walks out, closing the door behind him. I stare up at the ceiling until I fall asleep. I have horrible dreams of the games. I'm being chased, receiving multiple stabs. The pain feels real, but I never stop.

I wake up, short of breath. The moon is shining through the window, and I tell myself over and over that it was just a dream. I check and make sure I'm not bleeding, before I fall back asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When I open my eyes again, my prep team is standing over me. I immediately jump up, and jump out of bed. Still half in the arena I guess. Then I realize the pain in my foot and fall to the ground.

"What happened to your foot?" Jasmine squeals. "We can't put you in high heels now!"

Then they go on and on about how I let my eyebrows grow out. I didn't really care too much to keep up with them. They set up a chair and start waxing all the hair off my body. My body is stinging, but they rub some lotion on that soothes my skin.

Then they wash, dry, and style my hair. They simply straighten my hair and fasten a white flower in it. My makeup is all natural tones, except my lips which are painted a deep red. They put on the finishing touches, when amber walks in.

I jump out of the chair and hug her.

"Amber! It's so good to see you again!" I say.

She pats me on the back.

"Good to see you too! How's Marcus?" She asks.

"He's great. He moved up here and bought a house next to mine." I say.

She smiles.

"He's a keeper." She says, nudging my arm with her elbow.

"So what will I be wearing today?"

"Just something simple." She says. She pulls a pair of black pants out of a bag and a white shirt, a white furry coat, and some black flats.

"Looks comfy." I say. I step carefully into the pants, holding onto Amber for support, and slip on the shirt. She puts the coat on me, and it stops at my waist. She slips on my locket form Jane and Becca, and she starts to put the shoes on my feet, but only puts it on my good foot.

"So what did you do to your foot?" She asks.

"Marcus and I were washing dishes and… long story short, I stepped on some broken dishes. How do you think my outfit will look with crutches?" I ask, jokingly.

She laughs. "I think you can pull them off."

I grab them and start the trek to the living room, where a camera crew is waiting. I sit down on the top of the steps and slowly slide down. Amber is laughing the entire time. I reach the bottom of the steps and stand back up. I go to the living room, where DeAnne and two cameramen are waiting.

"Annelise! What happened to you?" DeAnne says.

"Long story. But it really hurts to walk on my foot." I reply.

She starts to rub the sides of her head, like my father does when he starts to get a headache.

"I guess we can work with it. But as soon as possible, we need you to start walking on it." She says. I just nod my head. The cameraman starts filming, and we head outside to meet Marcus. He is already in my front yard with another camera crew and his stylist. I hobble over to him as fast as I can and wrap my arms around him. He holds on to me and I drop my crutches. He gives me a kiss.

"Is your foot feeling any better?" He asks.

"Eh. It doesn't hurt as much but I still can't walk on it." I say.

"Well I think I can help you." He says. He turns around and grabs my hands, pulling me onto his back.

"Here you go." He says, holding my legs. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, laughing.

"Thanks. This is fun." I say.

He carries me to the car and sets me in the seat. I slide over and he climbs in next to me. The car looks exactly like the one that took us to the arena. DeAnne, Father, and the camera crew are in a car behind us.

"How long do you think it will take to get to Louisiana?" I ask.

"Probably less than a day. Those planes are really fast." He says. I nod my head. Our route is going to be scattered all over the place.

I open the locket and study the pictures. I never noticed how similar Marcus looks to his father. Same hair, eyes, skin. I don't see his father that often, because he is always in his room. He got injured working, and he broke some things in his back. He is in pain all the time, and can barely stand for more than a few minutes.

Marcus had to take on the task of providing for them when he was only 15. His mother died when he was only six, leaving his father to care for him and a baby. His dad picked up two jobs, and relied on friends and family to take care of them while he worked. When Marcus turned 11, they thought he was old enough to watch Jane on his own, so he did. Then his dad broke his back, and Marcus started working, doing everything he could to make money for them. His dad got disability checks every month, but it wasn't enough to keep them going.

I admire Marcus for this. He never gave up. You would never guess he has been so through much by just talking to him. He is always happy and smiling. Though he seems intimidating, once you get to know him he isn't.

I grab his hand and kiss his cheek, leaning my head on his shoulder. We sit like this for the rest of the ride, until we finally reach the airport.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hey guys! So kind of short chapter, but it will get better.**_

_**But im going to need ten reviews to get the next chapter.**_

_**I think we can make that happen, right?**_

_**Just dont hate me D: **_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	5. Chapter 5

We get to the airport and DeAnne literally pushes onto the plane. Once we're on, we all meet in the TV room. I sit next to Marcus, his hand still in mine.

"We have a very busy trip ahead of us. I have a schedule of when and where we will be doing everything." She says, handing us each a copy. I look at it and see that she has very specific times on it. We will have 30 minutes for our speeches, then another 30 minutes for them to award us with plaques. Then an hour to prepare for a party held in our honor, which will be four hours long. Then we get on the plane and head to the next stop. Same for every state, except for D.C. and our state.

"Now we have to follow this schedule precisely to be on time for anything." She adds.

"So how do I carry everything while I'm on crutches?" I ask.

"I'm sure Marcus can hold them for you." DeAnne says. I look up at Marcus and he nods.

"But I expect you to be able to walk on your own by the time we reach Washington D.C., you have to present yourself well, and you can't do that with crutches and one shoe." She adds.

I just roll my eyes.

"Whatever you say DeAnne." I say. She looks at me, then goes back to examining her schedule. I really think I could walk on it now even though it is still a bit tender, but like I said, I have babied every little injury I have received since I left the arena.

We ask DeAnne some questions, until we are called to lunch. They serve us and we eat. I finish and go to my room to wash off al the makeup. I wash all the makeup off and watch swirls of colors going down the drain. I wash my body and hair in a rose-scented soap. I get out and wrap a towel around me. I pretty much balance on one foot the whole time. I figure I'll give it another day of rest before I start walking on it again.

I stand under the dryer as it completely dries me. I brush through my hair, and pull it up into my normal ponytail. I slip into a simple shirt and pair of shorts. I decide to walk around the plane, so I grab my crutches and go. I find a window and look out. The sky is bright blue. I look down and see small white clouds dotting the sky, and buildings shooting up from even further below.

Marcus walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I flinch a little.

"Its ok, its just me." He says, quietly.

"Sorry. I guess I'm still half in the arena." I reply.

We look out the window for a while then head to the TV room. DeAnne and father are watching the footage from this morning.

"Annelise, Marcus, have you been practicing your speeches?" DeAnne asks. We both nod and she hass us sit down and recite them. Marcus goes through his easily, then she has me recite mine.

"Annelise, speak louder." She demands, so I do.

"Chin up." She says.

"Stop messing with your pants." She adds.

"Don't look at me like that. You don't want the audience to think you hate them."

I try and finish, but she interrupts me so much about what I am doing wrong. Finally, I snap.

"DeAnne, let me finish!" I yell out. Everyone is looking at me in shock, and DeAnne has a disgusted look on her face.

"Well she wouldn't let me finish!" I say defensively. Before anyone says anything, I get up and go to my bedroom. I throw down my crutches and run to my room. My foot sends small shocks of pain up my leg, but I keep going. I slam the door, making sure everyone hears it. I lay down in bed and curse to my pillow. There's a knock at my door.

"Go away!" I shout, but they come in anyways.

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture." I say.

"I'm not here to give you a lecture." Marcus says. He sits down on the bed next to me.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that." I say.

"I don't think I'm the one you should apologize to. DeAnne looked really upset after you stormed out." He says.

Now I just feel bad.

"I never meant to upset her, she just wouldn't let me finish. I was getting frustrated and snapped." I say. Marcus rubs my arm.

"I know your stressed right now, but everything will be fine. I promise it will." He says. I sit up and kiss his lips.

"Thank you. Let me cool down for a minute, then I'll go apologize." I say. He nods and walks out. I sit on the edge of the bed, fiddling with my hands. This brings back memories of Sarah…

I quickly get up and walk out, before I start to cry. I grab my crutches along the way and go to the TV room, where everyone is waiting. I sit down on the couch between Marcus and Father. I look at DeAnne and apologize.

I probably over-killed it, but I need to because I don't really feel sorry. She seems pleased when I finish.

"Its alright, dear. Stress makes people crazy. Would you like to retry your speech?" She asks. Father clears his throat, letting her know that that's not a good idea. She takes the hint and we watch the TV. We should be landing soon, so we sit and wait until we land. We are quickly taken to the capitol building where our stylists and prep team await. We immediately get to work. Makeup, clothes, speeches, awards, dinner, onto the next state. Over and over. Then, we reach Michigan. One of the two stops I'm dreading the most.

Amber has me in a silver, slim dress that is longer in the back than in the front. It almost looks metallic. My hair is curled and pulled into a low side ponytail. My eyelids are coated with a shimmering silver and my lips are a deep pink. Marcus and I stand behind the doors, arms linked together. The large doors open and we step out. Everyone claps, but only because they have to. We step out and salute as the national anthem plays.

The mayor greets us and we begin with our speeches. A lower stage stands in front of us, one family on the left, one on the right. I look over at Kennedie's family. A father and mother, whose stomach suggests she is only months away from giving birth, and a small boy. Probably Evan's age. I guess that's why she was so protective over Evan, like I was over Sarah. They reminded us of our siblings back home. To my right, Evan's family sits. My aunt and Uncle, and my baby cousin. Both families have sad looks on their faces. My aunt is crying, and guilt sweeps over me. Maybe Evan and Kennedie would be here instead of Marcus and I if I saved them.

I walk up to the microphone to say a few words.

I hesitate slightly, but then I begin.

"I just want to say a few words about Kennedie and Evan."

I look over to my aunt, whose eyes meet mine.

"Evan was my cousin. We shared a bond well before we got in the arena. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him. I wish he was still here." I say. My aunt gives me a small smile.

I turn to Kennedie's family.

"And Kennedie, she was strong and brave, and I admired her for her protectiveness over Evan." I look down at my hands.

"Her death was the worst to me. I wish I would have acted faster to stop her. Her death still haunts me." I say. I try to find more to say, but I can't. Tears are welling up in my eyes, and Marcus comes up beside me and I bury my eyes in his shirt.

"We are sorry for your loses. Truly, sorry." Marcus adds. The crowd erupts into applauses, but I still have my face in Marcus's shirt. His arm is around me, and he lifts my head up. 'Its ok' he mouths. I give my head a slight nod and turn back around. The mayor presents us with a plaque and some flowers.

I look down at the shiny gold plaque, when I hear a gun shot. Before it has time to completely register in my ears, Marcus grabs me and pulls me out of the way. I hear many shrieks from the crowd, and Marcus pulls me behind him. I peek around and see Kennedie's father standing at the edge of the stage, tears streaming down his face.

"She's gone. She's gone because of you!" He shouts. I can see the panic in the crowd.

Her father starts walking towards us. Marcus backs up slowly, his arm protectively around me. Kennedie's father lifts his gun to shoot, when two police officers grab his arms. He starts thrashing around cursing at Marcus and I. They drag him to the front of the stage where they shoot him in the head.

Kennedie's mother screams and the boy starts to cry. Marcus quickly drags me inside, because I seem to have lost the ability to move. As soon as the doors closes, the tears start flowing.

"What happened out there! We were watching on the TV and they cut out as soon as they gave the awards." Father shouts. "Was that gun shots we heard?"

I start crying even harder, and run over to Marcus. He wraps his arms around me and I cry in his arms. He explains to my father what happened and he comes over and grabs me.

"Annelise, calm down darling." He says.

I pull away from him.

"No. That man is dead because of me! His wife was pregnant! They already have a son, and now they are going to be fatherless because of me!" I shout, but its slurred together because I'm still crying.

"He's not dead because of you. He got himself killed." Father says, trying to keep his voice level. I know I shouldn't yell at him, but I don't care right now.

"If I was dead, he would still be alive." I say. I turn to Marcus.

"I knew people hated me, but not this much. Maybe, if I was-"

"Don't even say that Annelise." Marcus says. I can see hurt in his eyes, but I turn away and walk to the room designated for us to get ready in. I hear something break, but I don't turn around. I fall onto the couch and cry into a pillow. I know I will have to get ready for the dinner soon. I wipe my eyes and stare up at the ceiling.

My prep team comes in. They see me and Jasmine immediately says,

"Annelise! Your eyes are all red and puffy. What am I supposed to do with it." She grabs my face with her hand, turning it side to side, studying it. I don't say anything in response, so they get to work on my makeup. Amber comes in and immediately hugs me.

"I heard what happened. Its not your fault. Don't blame yourself Annelise." She says.

"I heard you and your father arguing, but you were gone when I came in. I don't know what happened, but your father looked angry and Marcus looked very upset."

I look down.

"Are they mad at me?" I ask, quietly.

"No, they were just upset. They both love you and you pretty much told them you wish you were dead." She says. I think back to what I said, and how Marcus truly looked hurt. I feel terrible that I would say that. I hope he isn't too mad at me.

Amber pulls my dinner dress out of the bag. A dress that flows to my knees with a halter top. It's brown color that matches my eyes perfectly.

"Marcus is going to like this color." I say.

I hug her.

"I need to go find him and my father." I say. She nods and I rush out of the room. I find Father waiting at the top of the staircase that we walk down to enter the party. I walk up behind him, and put on my little girl voice. It always works on him.

"Daddy, are you mad at me?" I ask.

He turns around and hugs me.

"No darling. I can't blame you for reacting the way you did, but you can't blame yourself for this." He says.

I nod my head. "I know."

"You might want to talk to Marcus. He's really upset. He broke a vase." He says. So that's what the breaking sound was. I kiss him on the cheek and start towards Marcus's room, where he meets me at the door.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I think 8 reviews is close enough.**_

_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO XxPeetaxKatniss-ForeverxX. May the birthday unicorn bring you lots of sunshine and presents!**_

_**Here's a long chapter for you!**_

_**So, read, review, and all that good stuff!**_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Annelise…" He starts.

Before he can finish, I get up on my toes and press my lips to his. He kisses me back, but I can feel the hesitation. I pull away and start,

"I'm sorry for everything I said. I wasn't thinking and I didn't mean to hurt you in any way." He looks at me, studying me.

"How could you even think like that? It killed me that you thought everyone would be better off if you were gone." He says. I look down at my feet.

"I'm sure Kennedie's father was just so upset over his loss he went crazy. Just don't say anything like that again." He says. His tone is demanding, but sympathetic. I don't look up, but he puts his hand under my chin and lifts my head up. His eyes burn into my mine, and I reply,

"I won't. I promise."

He looks at me and a small smile comes across his lips.

He leans down and kisses me. His hands hold my face and I put my hands on his chest.

DeAnne walks up and clears her throat. We jerk apart, and I can feel my face turning red.

"Its time for the dinner party." She says. I look back down at my feet.

"Shall we?" Marcus asks, and he holds out his hand. I look up at him and smile, placing my hand in his.

We walk down to the party, and a round of applause bursts in the room. We come down the stairs and into a gigantic ballroom. A stage is set up in the back with a band playing music. A large table with tons of food is on the opposite side of the room. Tables and chairs make a circle around the dance floor. Everyone is facing us and clapping, and I smile and give them a wave with my free hand. We come down and are immediately flooded with people wanting pictures, a hand shake, an autograph.

I never let go of Marcus's hand the entire time. After everyone has had their fill, we head over to the feast that is laid out. My eyes widen at the amount of food. Most of it is stuff far too fancy for me to have ever had, but I recognize some things. I grab a plate and pile it high with one scoop of as much as I can fit on the plate. We sit down at a table, designated for us, my father, DeAnne, and our stylists. I haven't seen them since we walked in. I scarf down as much food as I can, but I am quickly full. I push my plate away and lay my hand on my stomach.

"I think I've had enough food to keep me going until lunch." I say.

Marcus laughs and pulls me up.

"Let's go dance." He says. We walk to the center of the dance floor, and they start playing a slow song. DeAnne tried to teach me a few dances, but I didn't do so well. He puts one hand on my waist and holds my hand with the other. I place my hand on his shoulder and we start dancing. I step on his feet twice, but he just laughs it off and shows me how to do it. By the end of the song, I got it. They play another slow song so we continue.

"So I heard you broke a vase." I say, sarcastically.

"I hit it and it hit the wall. The wall broke it, not me." He says, which causes me to laugh.

"I have to say, I love your dress." He says, and spins me around.

"I thought you would." I reply.

Someone taps Marcus on his shoulder and he turns around.

"Can I steal her for a dance?" Father asks.

"She's all yours." Marcus replies.

We dance as the music plays.

This has certainly been an interesting stop, wouldn't you say?" He says.

I roll my eyes.

"It was certainly different than the others." I say.

"Have you gotten a chance to talk to mother?"

"I talked to her when you were getting ready for your speeches, so she doesn't know." He says. I nod. They cut it right when the first gun shot was fired. She must be worried.

"Do you think they will let me call her?" I ask.

"I don't see why not." He says. I lift myself up on my toes and kiss his cheek.

"I'm going to go call her." I say. He nods and I walk away. I don't know where a phone might be, so I walk back upstairs. There are many rooms, so I open each door trying to find a phone. I open a door and see an older man, sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was-" I start.

He looks up. "Hello Miss Stague. I am Mayor Green." He says, and he stands to shake my hand. I walk over and shake his hand.

"It's an honor to meet you sir." I say, trying to keep a formal tone.

"Thank you, but I am the one who has the honor of meeting you. Are you enjoying the festivities?" He says.

I nod.

"I am. I was just looking for a phone to call my mother on." I say.

"You may use mine." He says. He pats on a chair next to him and a phone. I thank him and sit down to dial her number. It rings for a while.

I look on the screen the mayor is studying. It's a map of the United States with areas in different colors. Some are green, and others are a light red.

"Hello?" Mother's voice comes on the phone. I'm too busy looking at the screen.

"Hello?" She repeats, and I snap back.

"Oh hi mother. It's Annelise." I say.

"Annelise! Are you ok, we were watching you and Marcus in Michigan, and it cut out after a gun shot." She says, alarmed.

"Everything's fine. There was just a little… mishap. But everyone's fine."

_Except Kennedie's father_, I think.

"I was worried sick. Thank you for letting me know. I hope you're enjoying the party, it looks like fun." She says. I forgot that the party was being filmed and broadcasted as well.

"I am. Tell Becca and Daniel I love them. And I love you." I say.

"I will. I love you too." She says. I say goodbye and put the phone back down on the receiver.

I look at the computer screen again, and this time the mayor catches me.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering what's on the screen." I say, feeling like I did something I shouldn't have.

"No need to apologize. Feel free to take a look." He says, and he backs up and allows me to look. I stand and lean in close to the screen. The top of the screen says 'Stability' and each state has a color. In the corner, the key has a scale and tells what each color means. Green is stable, red is not. I immediately look at Kentucky, and see we are green. Only a few states are a light red.

"What does it mean?" I ask, although I have a pretty good idea.

"You know why you're here, right? Why these games were put into place?" He asks. I nod my head.

"Well this shows how stable the states are. If any uprisings are happening. When the games were put in place, most of the map went completely green. Some states still have a few rowdy crowds, but they aren't a threat." He says. I nod my head. You would think more uprisings would have started when the games were put in place.

"Don't you think there was a better way to calm the uprisings?" I ask. I quickly stop myself. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud. But he surprises me when he leans in and whispers.

"A number of options were available. I agree that this was a very inhumane and unethical way to handle things, but I didn't have a say in it." He says.

I nod my head.

"Well I think I should head back to the party. Thank you for everything." I say, and curtsy.

"And this was our little secret." He says, and winks. I smile and walk out. I step into the long hallway and head towards the party. I don't go down yet, but I stand by the rail and look down on the party. Everyone is dancing, talking, and having a good time. Some people are already drunk out of their minds. One guy even falls face first into a small cake lying on the edge of the table. I see him and start laughing.

I stand up there for a while. They play another slow song and I watch as people partner up. I spot Marcus and he looks like he is looking for me. A lady, probably well into her 70s comes up to him and asks for a dance. He looks around one more time and leads her onto the floor. I start to smile, I think it's cute. I watch them dance, and the song ends and I go back down.

I go and sit down at the table, where Amber is sitting.

"Are you having fun?" She asks. She seems to have been drinking, because her words are starting to slur together.

"I am. Are you?" I ask.

"Of course. They sure know how to throw parties!" She says. She spots someone in the crowd and gets up to meet them. She stumbles a little when she walks, but quickly regains her balance. I let out a small giggle, and get up to find Marcus. I find him talking to some other men. I walk up beside him and grab his hand. He pulls me next to him and wraps his arm around my waist. He kisses me and introduces the others. I shake their hands and we all talk for a while.

DeAnne comes over to us after a while.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we must be on our way now." She tells them.

They shake our hands and tell us goodbye. Someone announces us leaving, and we wave a goodbye to the crowd. We jump into the car and head to the airport. Once on the plane, I wash all the makeup off and fall asleep in Marcus's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

The trip continues on. I'm a little hesitant at each stop when we say our speeches, but push through. The longer the trip is, the more I want to go home. We have 51 stops, and only make it to one stop a day. I'm exhausted from all the traveling, public appearances, parties. We make it to South Carolina, where Sarah and Max were from.

Sarah and Max were step siblings, so instead of two separate families, one family sits in the middle of the lower stage. They have three other children. One who is about Daniel's age, the other two younger than Max and Sarah. I step up to the microphone and start to speak. I thought this would be hard, that my voice would be unstable, but I speak clearly.

"I never really got to know Max, but he was always the one with all the energy, the one who made everyone laugh. He was a good kid. Far too young to die. Just like Sarah."

I clear my throat.

"I miss Sarah dearly. She reminded me of my own sister. She was so sweet and timid. But I would have been dead if she didn't save me. I owe her my life, but I will never be able to repay her." I say, bowing my head.

"I promise, as long as I'm alive, she will not be forgotten." I end. Then I step away from the microphone, as the audience claps. Genuine claps. Not forced. The mayor presents us with our plaques and shakes our hands. We bow and step into the capitol building. Get dressed, go to the party, dance, chat, then onto the plane.

By now, my brain is wired into the routine. I do what I have to do without having to think. I'm just ready to go home. This is the longest I have ever been away from home. I've lost track of how long its been since we left.

The trip goes through quickly. Before I know it, we are in D.C. This stop will be different, though. We will have an interview with Wesley Owens instead of a live appearance. We are getting ready for the interviews. Amber puts me in a tight white dress with long sleeves, and an angled skirt that starts short on one side and ends longer on the other. She puts a sapphire necklace around my neck, over my locket. My hand runs over the smooth surface of the gem. Its about the size of three of my fingers put together.

"This looks really expensive. Where did you find it?" I ask.

"I wasn't ready to retire your sapphire look just yet. If you ask nicely, you can get anything from people." She says. I smile.

"Its lovely." I say.

My hair is in an updo and my nails are painted blue. The dress is tight, but I can breath and sit. I look in the mirror. I look older than seventeen. I guess Amber was going for a sexy look. Marcus and I walk, hand in hand to the stage. We take a seat and Wesley greets us. The crowd goes wild.

"So Annelise, Marcus. Its been about seven months since we last saw you two. How are things back home? Rumor has it Marcus moved up to your town just to be with you." He asks. He leans in, waiting for me to confirm the rumors.

"Yea, he did." I say. I squeeze his hand and look into his eyes, smiling. The crowd awes.

"You two have been on tour for quite a while. Have you had fun?" He asks.

"I would say so. It was nice seeing all the different states and being able to see the whole country." Marcus says.

"It was nice to see a change of scenery everyday." I add.

"But are you excited to get back home?" Wesley asks.

"Definitely. It has been fun, but its very hectic and exhausting." I say.

Then he tells us a story about his journey across the country and the perils he encountered. I laugh along with the audience.

"Well what has been your favorite part of it?" Wesley asks.

"The parties. I mean, everyone loves a good party, right?" Marcus says. Wesley laughs.

"Exactly." Then he tells another story about an embarrassing event at a party he attended.

When he finishes, the buzzer goes off and he signs off. We are taken back to our stylists and they prepare us for the dinner party. I'm in a good mood, knowing that I will be home very soon. Amber puts me in a gold dress that sparkles. Its long with a full skirt and no straps. My hair is curled and down. I step into a pair of golden heels and walk around in them. Amber has had me in flats for the entire trip, so I'm a little wobbly in them.

I step out and meet Marcus. I see he is in a matching suit, gold jacket, gold pants, white shirt and tie.

"Last one until we're home." He says, grabbing my hand.

I smile and they announce us.

We start to walk down the steps, and I notice how everything is white. Literally everything. Everyone is wearing all white, the floors, the walls, tables, chairs, plates, are all white. We stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone claps as we come down. They all blend in together.

We are bombarded with people wanting to meet us. Everyone wants to meet us. I hold on to Marcus's hand tightly. We take pictures, give autographs, and chat with a few people. This goes on for a good hour before Marcus interrupts.

"Alright, thank you but that's enough for now. We're going to go dance." He says. He pulls me through the crowd and onto the dance floor. Others dance around us, but they clear a spot for us. I rest my hands on his shoulders and his hold onto my waist. We sway while a soft, quiet song plays.

"Have you gotten taller?" He teases.

I pull up my skirt to reveal my shoes.

"Amber decided I was ready for heels." I reply.

We dacne a little longer.

"I can't wait to get home. Maybe we can have another picnic." I say, smiling.

He laughs.

"Maybe, if your lucky." He says, and gives me a wink.

"I'm feeling pretty lucky." I say, and lift myself up to his lips. We break apart and I notice a cameraman out of the corner of my eye. I start blushing, and Marcus notices. I tilt my head in the direction of the cameraman. He looks over and sees him and laughs. We dance a while longer until I start to get hungry. I hold on to Marcus's hand and we go over to the food table.

A large table stretches from one end of the room to the other. There is so much food I feel full just looking at it.

"What looks good?" Marcus asks.

"I don't even know what I'm looking at." I say. I grab a plate and fork and start do the same thing I have for all the stops. Get one scoop of each thing. There is so much food that I will have to make a lot of trips to try everything. I sit down at our table and eat. I get up to get more. Halfway down the table, I spot a chocolate fountain. I grab a second plate and start piling things covered in chocolate on it. Strawberries, rice treats, bananas, pretzels, and more. I grab both plates, carefully balancing them and sit down next to Marcus. I eat all the food on my plate before I start with the chocolate.

Marcus grabs a strawberry and pops it in his mouth.

"That's some good chocolate." He says. I bite into a pretzel and the salty sweetness floods my mouth.

"Mm. Tell me about it." I say. I devour the rest of it before I feel like I'm going to explode. I pile my plates up and Marcus takes them. I thank him and father comes and sits down. He is in an all white suit.

"Go overboard on the food again?" He asks. I smile.

"They have a chocolate fountain. I couldn't resist." I say. He lets out a laugh.

We sit and talk for a while. Then I notice Marcus has been gone for a while. I excuse myself and go to find him. He shouldn't be too hard to find, since everything is white. I look around the room but can't find him. I go up the stairs to get a better view.

I don't see him, so I walk around upstairs for a while. I pass a glass door that leads to a balcony. I don't pay much attention, but I catch a glimpse of something gold. I step back and open the door. Marcus is sitting in a chair, looking out on the city. I take a step out, and He turns around. He smiles when he sees me.

"Hey Sapphire." He says.

I smile and tell him hi.

"What are you doing up here?" I ask.

"I was looking for a bathroom and decided to get some fresh air." He says. I pull up a chair next to him and sit down. Wind chimes ring as the wind blows. The sun has just set, and the city glows. The cool wind blows my hair around.

"We should probably head back." He says, standing up. He holds his hand out and I place mine in his. We walk inside and down the hallway. We come back down the stairs and everyone's eyes turn towards us. The wind made my hair messy so I use my free hand to fix it. We reach the bottom of the steps and go back to our table. We are stopped for a few pictures. A very drunk man comes up and takes a picture with us. I shake his hand and can smell the alcohol on his breath. He gives me a hug and tries to kiss me.

I push him away and he stumbles onto the ground. A few questioning glances are thrown my way, but I ignore them and pull Marcus along. He's laughing, but I ignore it too. We reach our table and sit down. I let out a huff. I am ready to hop onto the plane and go home. And thankfully, soon DeAnne comes to collect us.

I jump up happily and start to leave. They announce to the crowd our departure and we give a wave goodbye. The crowd claps and we walk out. We get in our cars. I immediately lay my head on Marcus's lap and drift off to sleep. I wake up in my bed on the plane, wrapped in his arms. He must have carried me onto the plane.

I see a little light coming in from the window, signaling sunrise. I realize I'm still in my dress. I carefully take Marcus's arm off of me and get up. I slip into the shower, washing all the makeup off. When I'm dried and dressed I step out. Marcus already left. I go to the dining room and find everyone sitting around the table. I'm offered breakfast, but I'm still full from last night, so I kindly reject.

"We'll be landing soon." Father says. A huge smile breaks across my face. Almost home. One more party, and then I can go home. Sleep in my own room, in my own house. See my brother and sister and Mother. I've got to talk to them a few times over the phone, but I miss seeing them. We sit at the table, talking about how everything on the tour went. DeAnne tells us the tour was a big success.

The plane lands and we get in the car and head for the capitol building. We don't have to give a speech, just a big party. Anyone is allowed to attend, and I convinced Kaitlynn to ask her parents to bring her and her little brother. He's only eight, so they were debating on going. But they finally said yes. Becca, Daniel, Jane, and Mother will all be coming.

We arrive at the capitol building, and the streets, buildings, everything is decorated with bright banners. A huge smile breaks across my face.

Just that much closer to home.


	8. Chapter 8

I sit in the room as my prep team fixes me up. My hair is straightened, my lips are painted a natural pink color, my eyelids are coated with white powder, my cheeks a soft pink. Amber comes in and puts me in a light pink dress that goes to my knees. The top of the dress is decorated with a white stitched design. It makes me look innocent and girly. I step into a pair of matching heels. They make me at least 3 inches taller.

This is the last I will see Amber until the games start again. I give her a hug and she hugs me back.

"I'm going to miss you." I tell her.

"Me too. But I will see you in a few more months." She replies. I nod my head and she leads me out into the hallway. Marcus waits for me and I slip my hand into his. I give a goodbye wave to Amber. She waves back. They announce us and we walk out the door, to the front of the capitol building. A huge crowd of people stands in front of us, all cheering and chanting our names. A huge smile breaks across my face.

Since anyone can come, we can't have the party in the capitol building. Instead they set up the party in a large field on the outskirts of Frankfort. After the mayor introduces us, we get into a car that will take us to the party. I look out the back window and see thousands of cars following us. We drive until we reach a huge open area. Lights are hung up on poles everywhere. Tables sit out, full of food. A make-shift stage is set up with two large chairs on it, which I assume is for us. The car stops and I immediately hop out, giddy with excitement. I register how warm it is. Its December now, so it should be cold. But it's almost like it's the beginning of fall, when everything is starting to cool from the summer heat.

We don't have a schedule to follow anymore, so we can stay here as long as we want. It's about an hour until the sun will start to set. Marcus grabs my hand and takes me to the chairs set up on stage. He sits me down and we watch as the cars pour out people. A band is set up and they begin playing music. Everyone is laughing and smiling, dancing and having fun. I can't help but feel happy. Then Kaitlynn comes up beside me.

I let out a squeal and jump up to hug her.

"Kaitlynn! I've missed you so much!" I say. Her little brother, Johnny, comes up to me and wraps his arms around my legs.

"Johnny! How have you been?" I ask, picking him up and holding him.

"Great. I saw you on TV everyday. You looked really pretty." He says. I laugh and thank him. Kaitlynn's mother and father come and give me a hug. Kaitlynn's mother and my mother have been best friends since high school, which is how Kaitlynn and I met.

"Have you seen my mother?" I ask.

"I talked to her before we left. She said she would be a little late because of traffic." Her mother says. I nod my head.

They go to dance and Johnny drags Kaitlynn to the dance floor. Marcus grabs my hand and takes me out onto the dance floor. We hold onto each other, dancing. Johnny comes up next to Marcus and taps him.

"Can I dance with her?" He asks. Marcus smiles.

"She's all yours." He says. Johnny grabs both of my hands and we start dancing.

"I think I'm a better dancer than your boyfriend." He says. I laugh.

"I think so too." I say.

I dance with Johnny until someone comes up behind me and wraps their arms around me. I jerk away and turn around. Daniel stands behind me, smiling. A big smile breaks on my face and I squeeze him. Becca comes up and wraps her arms around me. I give them both a kiss on the cheek and hold them.

"I have missed you guys so much." I say, still holding on. Then Jane runs up, holding Marcus's hand. She runs over to me and hugs me. I kiss the top of her head.

"Jane! I missed you." I say. She and Becca grab my hand.

"Let's dance!" They say. We stand in a circle, spinning and jumping around. I haven't been this happy in a while. Johnny comes over and jumps in, and we dance longer.

I spot mother dancing with father.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, ok?" I say. They all nod and continue dancing.

I rush over to mother and practically jump into her. She kisses my cheek.

"Mom!" I cheer. I squeeze her, and she pats my back.

"I've missed you!" I say.

"I've missed you too." She says.

I kiss her and let her continue dancing with dad. I make my way through the crowd, trying to find Marcus. I spot him, standing and watching Becca and Jane dance, laughing. I walk up beside him and watch with him. They are very energetic tonight. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me next to him. I wrap my arm around him and we stand, watching them. They start playing another slow song, and I take Marcus to the middle of the dance floor.

It's night, but the lights shine so brightly that it looks like it's the afternoon. They dim the lights some, giving a romantic sunset effect.

"I haven't seen you this happy since we left." He says.

"I'm just happy to see everyone. How do you manage to always look so happy?" I ask.

"I'm happy whenever I'm with you." He replies. He rests his forehead on mine.

"I love you Annelise."

"I love you too." I reply.

He pushes his lips onto mine and my hands rest on his shoulders. He pulls away and smiles. I place my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, listening to the sound of the music. His hand rests on the back of my head.

After a while, I realize something. Everything is calm and quiet.

Quiet… no music playing, no one is speaking. Marcus is standing still, not moving a muscle. I look up. Everyone has stopped moving, all looking in the same direction. I look up at Marcus, confused.

He is looking the same direction everyone else is, worry clearly on his face. I turn around and see a large group of men in black suits, all carrying weapons, some carrying scanners of some sort. They turn the scanners on, and it scans everyone and everything.

"Everything's clear." One of the men shouts out.

The men split apart and a man steps out from the group.

A short, plump man with red hair and ghostly. He makes his way over to Marcus and I. It takes a minute to register, and then I realize who is standing in front of me.

President Stone.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello, Miss Stague. Mr. Williams. Pleasure to meet you again." He says. His voice sends chills down my spine. I stand, motionless next to Marcus, my hand still in his. I am holding on tight.

"He-hello President Stone." I stutter.

"I just came here to congratulate you again, and to enjoy the festivities." He says. I can feel the relief spread throughout the party.

But I know better.

Marcus seems to have relaxed some, but I know he suspects something too. The band starts playing again and everyone goes back to dancing and playing around.

"May I have this dance?" President Stone asks. I look up at Marcus and he gives me a small nod. I let go of his hand and hesitantly dance with the president. He is eye level with my shoulders. I stand awkwardly and dance with him. I keep looking over my shoulder back at Marcus, who is watching me carefully.

"Miss Stague, although I did come here to enjoy the party held in your honor, there is another reason I came." He says. My heart drops to my stomach. I knew something was up, and suddenly I fear the worst.

"Let us talk about this matter somewhere more private." He says. I turn back to Marcus, and I can see the panic starting to cross his face. A wall of men in black suits blocks my view. I want to run, or scream, but I know better.

I take a deep breath and follow the president. We are surrounded by the men. They lead me away, and the sound of the party starts to fade. We stop and the men disperse, guarding the area.

"During your time in Michigan, you paid a visit to Mayor Green." He says. He gives me a questioning look.

"I was looking for a phone to use." I say.

"Indeed. But I have sources that say that he showed you classified information. Is that correct?" He asks.

I flash back to that visit. The only thing he showed me was the map. Maybe it was classified information. But how did he find out? We were alone. Maybe they were monitoring us with cameras. This means he could be watching my every move.

"I don't know." I say. My voice is unsteady.

"The map." He says. I don't dare move, and I realize I'm holding my breath, and I force myself to breathe.

"He did show me a map. I wasn't aware it was classified." I get out.

"Well it was. I need to let you know that that information should be shared with no one, or their will be dire consequences, just like the ones Mayor Green endured." He says.

"What would I do with that information?" I ask.

"As you know, not all the states are under control. If anyone who needed the information got ahold of you, what stops you from giving it?" He says.

"I wouldn't." I say

"I want to believe you, but i'm just not so sure. Just don't let the information out, or we will deliever the same consequences to you as we did to Mayor Green."

"What did you do to him?" I ask.

"Let's just say he was... relieved of his duty." He replies, an evil grin on his face.

I understand what he is trying to say. _Tell anyone, and you're dead._

"I never planned on telling anyone." I say.

"For the sake of everyone you care about, I hope not." He says.

I feel anger start to boil up inside of me. Threatening me with my life is one thing, but my friends' and family's life is a different story. A new hatred for this man burns inside of me. I resist the urge to yell at him, to let him know what I'm thinking.

"Is that all?" I ask. I glare at him, hoping my eyes can say what I can't.

"It would seem so. Enjoy the party. And remember, I'm always watching." He says. This sends another round of chills down my spine.

The men surround him and one man whispers something into his watch. A car pulls up and they get in, leaving me by myself.

The car drives away. I sit down on a rock until my feelings calm down. I think about telling someone, but who? I decide that if needed, the first person I will tell is Marcus. But, will I be putting him in danger? He's already in danger, so would I be doing any real harm? He has a right to know. I feel conflicted about whether I should tell him or not.

I kick off my shoes and start to walk back to the party. The air is cool, and the grass has started to collect dew. I start to shiver. I make it back to the party, where Marcus waits. He runs up to me.

"Annelise, what was that about?" He asks. I'm still shivering, and he takes off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders.

"Thank you. It was nothing. He just wanted to congratulate me privately. He was going to congratulate you, but something came up and he had to leave early." I say.

I can tell he doesn't buy it, and he is studying my eyes, waiting for the truth.

"Everything's fine." I say, and kiss him.

He smiles.

I hate lying to anyone, especially Marcus. I want to tell him so badly, but not here. President Stone's words hang in the back of my mind,

_And remember, I'm always watching. _

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I know this is similar to what happens in Catching Fire. But this is Hunger Games fanfiction, right?**_

_**But I thought it fit this plot as well, so I included it. **_

_**Thanks for the reviews guys! You guys are the best!**_

_**And btw im open to suggestions on what you think should happen. So just let me know if you have any ideas!**_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the night, I don't let go of Marcus. I find myself looking around, to see if I'm being watched. Marcus and I go to our chairs, and I keep a close eye out. I have barely said a word since my meeting with the president. Marcus takes notice.

"Annelise, what's wrong?" He asks.

I look over to him, and try to put a smile on my face.

"Nothing. Why?" I ask.

"You haven't said anything since you came back from your chat with the president."

"Oh. I just haven't had much to say." I say.

He gives me a questioning look, but I brush it off.

"Come on, let's go get some food." I say. I grab his hand and drag him along.

We reach the table and I grab a plate and hand it to him. I pile food onto my plate and wait for Marcus. We go back to our chairs and eat.

I try talking more and looking around less. It must be past midnight now. Daniel comes up, holding a sleeping Becca and Jane. Marcus steps down and grabs Jane.

Mother and father walk up to us.

"Are you ready to go home?" Mother asks. A smile breaks across my face and I nod.

"Let's go." I say. I grab Becca form Daniel. Mother, father, and Daniel all ride together. Marcus, Jane, Becca and I get into the limo that brought us here, which will be taking us home. I sit down, Becca still cradled in my arms. I kick my feet up across the seat and lay my head on top of Becca's. I look across and see Marcus holding onto Jane. He kisses the top of her head.

I smile. I know he has missed her. I quickly fall asleep.

I am shaken away by Marcus.

"We're home." He says. I smile and get out, still clutching Becca. He kisses me.

"I need to get home. I'll see you tomorrow." He says.

"Okay." I say. I kiss him again and head into the house. I walk through the door and smile. Finally home. Father takes Becca up to her room.

"Welcome back." Mother says, wrapping me in a hug.

"It's good to be home." I say. I hug Daniel and head to my room.

I flip on the light switch. Just the way I left it. The rose Marcus gave me is still in the vase, barely withered. Mother must have been keeping it watered. I pick up the picture frame and look at it. I clutch it to my chest then set it back down.

I slip off the dress and into my pajamas. I pull up the covers and slip under them. I hope for a peaceful sleep, but my mind quickly fills with horrors. I watch as everyone I love is tortured while I'm forced to watch. I scream their names, which is useless. The last thing I see before I'm woken is President Stone's evil, cruel green eyes staring at me, laughing.

My eyes shoot open, and Becca stands over me. No light shines through the window. It must still be night time.

"Annelise, calm down." She says. I'm breathing heavily, and my face is wet from tears. I lose it and start bawling into my pillow. Becca rubs my hair. She starts to sing a soothing lullaby I used to sing to her when she was a baby. Her voice calms me down, and I stop crying. I lie still while she continues singing, until I drift back off to sleep.

No dreams come into my head. Just Becca's sweet melody replaying. I wake up again with the sun shining through the window. I open the window up and listen to the birds chirp. I fill my lungs with the cool air.

Images of last night's dream flood into my head, and they promise to stick around. Finally I can't take it anymore. I need to tell Marcus. I slip on sweatpants, a t-shirt and jacket, pull my hair into my usual ponytail, and run out my door.

"Where are you headed to?" Father asks.

I don't stop.

"I'll be right back." I shout, before I close the door. I run down the long driveway, and follow the road to Marcus's house. I step up onto the porch and knock on the door. Jane opens it and smiles.

"Hi Annelise. Come on in." She says. I smile and step into their house.

"Marcus is still asleep, but you can go wake him." She says. I nod and walk to his room.

His room is simple. White walls, tan carpet. His bed set is brown. His favorite color.

I walk over and gently shake him.

"Marcus, wake up." I whisper.

He turns over and looks up, sleepily. He sits up and stretches.

"Good morning." He says.

"We need to talk. Somewhere private." I say.

A questioning look crosses his face.

"Okay." He says. He stands up and slips a t-shirt on. I grab his hand and take him out the back door.

"We'll be back in a minute Jane." I yell.

We walk in the woods until I'm certain we are safe. I find a log and sit on it.

I carefully look around, making sure no one is around, or trying to spot a camera. Everything looks clear.

"What's up?" He asks. He sounds worried.

"I need to tell you about last night. Why the president came." I say, barely audible.

He stares at me, waiting for me to continue.

"When we were in Michigan, I was looking for a phone. I walked into the Mayor's office. He let me in, and when I was using the phone I saw something on his computer." I say. I look at him, to see if he is following.

"And?"

"It was something classified, I wasn't supposed to see. But he showed me it and explained it to me. President Stone somehow found out." I say. I'm starting to cry now.

"He said that if I told anyone what was on that screen, he would kill me and everyone I love." This barely gets out through my sobbing. Marcus wraps his arms around me, while I cry into his shirt.

"He said he is always watching." I whisper.

"Annelise, everything is going to be ok. We'll be safe as long as you don't tell anyone" He assures me.

I know I can keep it a secret, but it's the threat against them that scares me. Stone knows my weakness, and he can control me, make me do anything he wants.

I'm just another piece in his games once again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thanks guys for all you do!**_

_** had a suggestion.**_

_**I dont know what I think of that idea. I could do it, but im not sure if I should.**_

_**What do you guys think? **_

_**The suggestion is in the reviews btw.**_

_**Other than that, has anyone told you guys how amazing you are? Well, you are! Thank you for all the reviews, they keep me writing(:**_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	11. Chapter 12

We stay out there for a while, Marcus telling me everything will be ok. I hope he's right. The tears stop flowing, and I rest my head on his shoulder, his arm still around me. I start to feel hungry and we head back to his house. We enter and Jane is sitting at the table. She raises an eyebrow when she sees us.

"Is everything ok?" She asks. I nod my head.

"You sure? You look a little sick." She says.

"I'm just hungry." I say. And I really am, my stomach is growling.

"I'll whip you up something." Marcus says. I smile.

"Thanks. PB&J?" I ask.

"Sure." He replies.

"And one for your favorite sister?" Jane asks, batting her eyes.

"Of course." He says. She giggles and takes me to the table.

We sit down and wait. Soon Marcus comes out with a plate with more than enough sandwiches. I immediately grab two and rip pieces off, stuffing them in my mouth. I wash them down with a glass of milk. I grab one more, and finish it off quickly.

"You weren't kidding when you said you're hungry." He jokes.

"Yea, I don't think I can eat any more though." I say.

I finish off the milk and take my plate and glass to the sink. I rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher. I glance out the window above the sink, and spot something black. I look back, and see a shiny new black car.

"Whoa. When did you get that car?" I ask.

"I bought it right before the tour started." He says.

"How did I miss that?" I ask.

"I haven't got to drive it yet. Wanna go for a ride?" He asks.

"Do you know how to drive?" I ask.

"Yea, I have my license." He says.

"Then lets go. Shot-gun!" I shout out.

We head out the door, and I slip into the car. The seats are a tan leather color. I slip in and put on my seatbelt. Jane and Marcus slip into their seats and put their seatbelts on. He starts the car up and pulls out of the driveway. I open up the window and stick my head out, the wind blowing through my hair.

"That reminds me. I have to tell you guys something." Marcus says. We both look at him, waiting for him to go on.

"I was doing some research, and they have this new procedure at the hospital that could help dad walk again. it's a surgery, followed by a few days of intense physical therapy." He says. I look back at Jane, who has a huge smile on her face.

"You mean dad could walk again?" She says, hopeful. Marcus has a smile on his face too.

"Its experimental, but a few people have had success with it. He had to be approved first, and I already talked to a doctor about it. They said they could get him in whenever we were ready." He says. Now even I'm excited.

"This is great! When are you going to take him?" I ask.

"I was planning on it soon." He says.

"What about right now?" I ask.

He thinks for a second.

"I don't see why not. But I'm going to need some help getting him in the car." He says.

"I can help." I say. He nods and turns around. I can hear Jane's excitement from behind me.

We get back to his house and immediately get out. We rush inside to his father's bed room and gently shake him awake. Marcus explains to him where he is going, and he agrees to go. His face lights up when Marcus tells him he might be able to walk again, to get rid of the pain. I flash back to the arena.

I suffered through so many injuries. The cuts, the burns. They all pale in comparison to his pain. Never ending. I find it amazing he could live through it. I can't stand any small pain. I couldn't imagine being in pain like he is.

We both lift him and guide him, his arms around our shoulders. We gently guide him until we get to the car. Marcus literally picks him up and sets him inside. It amazes me how strong he is. We buckle him in and I slip in the back next to Jane. His father grunts in pain a few times, but he pulls through. The drive to the hospital takes about 30 minutes, and when we get their, I take Jane inside to grab a wheel chair. We take it outside, and Marcus sets his father in it. He wheels him in and talks to the receptionist. A doctor comes in.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Clark." He says. We greet him and tell him why we are here.

"This is going to be a process that should take only five days, if all goes as planned. We will call you regularly to update you on his condition." Dr. Clark says. We say our goodbyes to his father and they wheel him into a room, preparing him for the surgery.

We all get back in the car and drive back to Marcus's. When we pull up, I start to feel nauseous. I step out, and before I even take more than a few steps, I feel like I'm about to throw up. I run into Marcus's house and crash through the bathroom. I kneel down by the toilet, where I start throwing up into it. Marcus and Jane both crash through the bathroom door. Jane starts to gag and steps out. Marcus pats my back while I continue throwing up. My throat burns by the time I'm done.

"Ugh. There goes my lunch." I say. I stand up and rinse my mouth out, trying to get rid of the foul taste.

"Have you been feeling sick?" He asks.

"Up until a few minutes ago, no." I say. He puts his hand on my forehead.

"You don't feel like you have a fever. Maybe it was the sandwiches." He says.

"They tasted fine to me." I say. I flush the toilet and grab some air freshener form under the sink, spraying it around. I step out find Jane laying on the couch. I laugh.

"You going to be ok?" I ask.

"I think I'll make it." She says, sarcastically.

"Oh I need to go. I kind of ran out this morning, they are probably wondering where I'm at." I say. Marcus kisses my cheek and I walk out the door.

I reach my house and step in. Becca, mother, and Daniel are still sleeping. Father is at the dining room table drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. I step into the kitchen and he raises an eyebrow.

"Where did you run off to?" He asks me.

"Long story. But Marcus took me for a ride in his car, then we dropped his dad off at the hospital." I say.

"Is he ok?" He asks.

I tell him about the new procedure.

"That's great. I hope all goes well." He says. I nod my head, and start to feel sick again. I ignore it, until it threatens to come up. I run to the bathroom and start throwing up what was left of my lunch. I sit by the toilet, waiting to see if I'm going to get sick again. But I don't, and I wash out my mouth.

"You ok in their?" Father calls out.

"I think I might be coming down with something." I shout back.

"You need anything?" He asks.

"I think I might have overdone it at the party." I reply.

I go to the kitchen and decide to make everyone breakfast. I grab the pancake mix and add the ingredients. I pour a small bag of chocolate chips in with it and mix it together. I start pouring round circles in pans. I wait and flip them as the chocolaty aroma fills my nostrils. I stack the pancakes on a plate and sit them in the center of the table.

"Breakfast is ready!" I shout up the stairs. Daniel quickly comes down. Before I can say anything, he slaps three pancakes on his plate and smothers them in syrup. Becca and mother come shortly after. I can't help it, and grab a pancake and slowly rip it apart, dunking it in syrup.

"I make amazing pancakes." I gloat.

"I've had better." Daniel snickers. I roll my eyes.

I finish up before everyone and dismiss myself. I walk to the living room and lie down on the couch, facing the TV. I flip it on to a talk show, and end up falling asleep.

Before I know it, my mind fills with images of the games. Every death i witnessed is replayed, but I feel every bit of pain they experience. I scream, try to run, try to fight back, but it doesn't work.

I scream, and am shaken awake by Marcus. Becca is standing next to him, a worried look on her face. Instead of tears, like usual, I feel sick yet again. I push past Marcus and Becca and go straight to the bathroom. I throw up in the toilet. Becca comes in with Marcus and holds back my hair. I think I might just sleep next to the toilet.

I lay next to the toilet, feeling sick still.

"When did you get here?" I ask Marcus.

"I came to see if you were feeling ok, and you were screaming and trashing around." He says.

"Oh, thanks. But it think I might be sick. I have gotten sick twice since I left your house." I say.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" He asks.

"If I'm still sick tomorrow, then I might. But I think I'm going to sleep in here tonight" I say.


	12. Chapter 13

I continue throwing up for two days before I decide I need to go see a doctor. I don't know why I'm so hungry. I guess my stomach hasn't regained its normal size after gorging myself during the tour, because I have noticed that my stomach has grown and I out on a little weight.

"Hello Annelise, I am Doctor Hall. What seems to be the problem?" She asks. I tell her all my symptoms, and she nods.

"I believe I know what's wrong." She says. She has me do a test, and I wait in the room while she gets the results.

"Well Annelise, we have your results." She hands me the paper, and I read it. A flicker of joy crosses over me, then dread quickly replaces it.

"This can't be happening." I say. My head is in my hands, and I'm trying to stop myself from crying.

"Thank you doctor." I say.

"You're welcome. Now, I will need you to come in for regular check ups." She says.

I nod my head. I get down off the table and walk out the door. Marcus drove me here, and he waits patiently in the waiting room.

"Let's go." I say. He follows me out and I climb in to his car. I put my head back in my hands, resting my elbows on my legs. I brace myself to tell Marcus. He hops in the driver's seat.

"What did the doctor say? Are you ok?" He asks. Physically, yes. Emotionally, I'm not quite sure yet.

"I'm ok. But…" I start. I push the words out.

"I'm pregnant."

I look up at Marcus.

"How did…" He starts, but we both know how it happened.

It was during the victory tour, December 1st to be exact. I was having the worst nightmares I have ever experienced. I woke up, and he was there to comfort me, and it just… happened. He starts to smile.

"So we're having a baby?" He says, still smiling.

"I guess so." I say, but I'm not smiling. I'm worried.

"Why do you look so upset?" He asks.

"Marcus, I don't want to bring a child into this. I couldn't live with myself if they got chosen for the games. And don't you think we're a little young?" I say.

I feel two conflicting emotions inside of me. One is happiness, the other is fear.

I have always wanted to be a mother. I'm carrying a person inside of me now. But I don't want to bring a child into this world with everything going on. I would always loathe a pregnant woman I saw since the games started. But now I'm one of them.

He considers this for a second.

"I know you're worried, but it's too late now. We made a choice, and we have to take the consequences. This isn't a bad thing. It's a blessing." He says.

"I know it is. I just don't want my baby in those games. Stone already hates me. What would stop him from making sure my child would be in those games?" I say.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it." He says. He starts the car, and we drive off. I look out the window, thinking. It all makes sense now, why I was sick, why I gained weight. I remember my mother going through the same thing when she had Becca, though I was little and didn't know what was going on.

But now I'm worried about the baby. Aren't we too young to have a baby? Granted, we would have no problem supporting a child. We have enough money to. But I don't think I'm emotionally ready for a baby.

I push away negative thoughts, and focus on more positive things. Is it a boy or girl? What should we name it? Who's it going to look like?

"How are we going to tell our families?" I ask. He lets out a small laugh.

"Should be interesting." He replies. I think of my father's reaction. Oh, it's going to be interesting all right…

"I say we get them all in a group and tell them. And hide anything that can be used as a weapon." I add.

Marcus's father is getting out of the hospital soon. We visited him the day after the surgery, and he was already starting to stand, with the help of a cane. It was nice to see him up and happy, not in pain. Marcus was so happy when we saw him. Nothing could have brought him down.

"Let's tell them after your father comes home." I say. He nods.

"Ok." He replies. He pulls up to my house.

"I have to go get Jane and Becca from their friend's birthday party." He says. I nod and lean over and kiss him. I open the door and step out of the car. He pulls out of the driveway, and I walk through the door. Mother meets me in the living room.

"So, what did the doctor say?" She asks. I forgot that they knew I was going to the doctors.

"Oh, she said that I was just stressed over the whole mentoring thing." I say.

"Oh, that's all?" She says, giving me her 'look'. Of course she knows what's going on. She has been through it three times.

I look down at my feet. She waves me over. I sit down next to her.

"I know what's really wrong." She says. I expect a lecture, but instead she pulls me in for hug.

"I was going to wait until Marcus's father got out of the hospital to tell everyone. Get everyone in a big group and let it out." I say.

"Well I won't spoil your plans." She says.

"You're not going to tell anyone?" I ask. She nods her head.

"Thank you. But can I talk to you about it?" I ask. She nods.

"I'm happy and all, but at the same time I'm terrified. I don't want to bring another human into this world, put another child in the awful position I was in. When the games were first announced, I wrote off ever having kids." I say.

"I can see what you're worried about. But this can be an amazing experience. I know you're worried about the games, but honestly, what are the odds your child will be picked?" She says.

"Well what were the odds that I was picked?" I say. She starts to respond, but stops her self. She knows it's true.

"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't worry so much. Stress isn't good for the baby." She says. This makes me realize how much I have to change. I need to be more careful about what I eat or do. I thank her and head up to my room.

I open the door and flip the light on. I go up to the mirror and pull up my shirt, reveling my developing stomach. A little bump has started to form. I rub my hand over it. Someone is in there. I smile.

I pull my shirt back down over my stomach and lay down on my bed. I pick up my picture frame, running my fingers over the engraved names. Another name will accompany ours soon.

I hear a car pull up and I sit up. I hear Jane and Becca's giggles float up from downstairs. I sit on the edge of my bed, holding the frame in my hands. Marcus opens the door and sits down next to me. He looks at the picture frame.

"Soon we can get another one made, with more names." He says, smiling. He puts his hand on my abdomen, and I lay my hand on top of his. I lean over and pull him in for a long, passionate kiss. My hands hold on to the back of his neck, his hands gently holding me by my waist.

I start to feel hungry, and I pull away.

"Both of us are hungry. We're going to go get some food." I say, jokingly.

He smiles and walks me down, holding my hand. I step into the kitchen and open the fridge. I have been craving PB&J lately. Mother walks in.

"So how are you doing, Marcus?" She asks.

"Fine, thank you. How are you?" He asks.

"I'm great. I'm going to be a grandmother soon." She says. Marcus looks at her, and then looks back at me.

I shrug my shoulders. "She's too smart for us." I say, my mouth full of food.

"I've been through it three times. I knew what it was before you did." She says, a smirk crossing her face.

"Don't worry. She said she wouldn't tell anyone." I add, putting some more of the sandwich into my mouth. He lets out a small laugh.

"Guess you are too smart for us." He says.

I stuff myself, and then retire to the couch. I flip on the TV and lay down on Marcus's lap.

I feel relaxed, and then I feel immediately sick. I sit up quickly and rush to the bathroom. I kneel down by the toilet and start throwing up. Marcus rushes in and rubs my back while I throw up. When I finish, I flush the toilet and sit by it.

"Ugh. This isn't going to be fun." I say. He helps me up, and I go to the sink and wash out my mouth. We go back to the living room, and I lay back down, my hand resting on my abdomen.


	13. Chapter 14

The days pass quickly, full of lots of eating, sleeping, and throwing up. But finally it comes time to get Marcus's father.

I climb into the back seat with Jane, leaving the front seat for his father. We drive until we reach the hospital.

While Marcus and Jane wait in the waiting room, I go to talk to my doctor. A nurse sends me to a room and I wait. She comes in.

"Hello Annelise. Back so soon? Is everything alright?" She asks.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just had a few questions." I say.

"Go ahead." She says.

"Well, I would like to know if you have any idea when the due date is, if I should be taking any special vitamins or something, when I can find out if it's a boy or girl." I say.

"Ok. How far along do you think you are?" She asks. I think back.

"Well it was about six weeks ago when… You know." I say.

She laughs.

"Well, based on that, I estimate your due date around the middle of September. I have some vitamins you should take." She says, and writes me a prescription.

"And we won't be able to determine the gender until you are about 5 months along." She says.

"We can do an ultra sound right now if you would like." She says.

"No, I want to wait for Marcus to be here with me." I say. She nods.

"Well, I will see you in about three weeks for a check-up. That will be your two month mark, and we can do it then." She says. I nod and walk out. I meet Marcus and Jane back in the waiting room.

"What did you have to ask your doctor?" Jane asks.

"I, uh…" I stutter.

"She had to get the prescription for her medicine." Marcus says.

"Oh. To help you stop throwing up?" She asks. I nod my head. _Thank you Marcus. _I think.

We sit and wait, until a nurse brings out their father in a wheel chair. The nurse hands him a cane and he stands up and walks towards us. A huge smile breaks across all our faces. Jane rushes up to hug him, nearly knocking him down. He regains his balance and hugs Marcus.

"Hi Mr. Williams." I say, and give him a hug. He kisses the top of my head.

"Good to see you again Annelise. You can call me by my first name, you know?" He says. I laugh.

"Ok Greg." I say.

"Ready to go?" Marcus asks. Greg nods his head and sits back in the wheel chair. Marcus wheels him out and helps him into the car. I slip in with Jane, put my seat belt on and go. I start to feel really nervous. We are telling everyone today. We reach a red light and I look into the front mirror at Marcus. He glances up and sees me. I can tell he is nervous too. His eyes go back to the road and I watch as the city quickly turns into houses, then woods.

Soon, we pull up to my house and I help Greg out. He insists on walking alone, so I let go. Marcus and I stand closely behind him. He makes it to the steps and grabs on to the railing, slowly stepping up. I open the door and find Becca, Daniel, mother and father all waiting in the living room.

"Guess who's back?" I say. They all turn around as Greg walks in. They all congratulate him, and we go to the dining room, where mother has laid out a meal. Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni, and stuffing. My mouth starts watering just looking at it. Marcus pulls out a chair for his father, and pulls one out for me. I smile.

"Thanks."

He sits between his father and I. We all eat and ask him questions about his treatment. He tells us about his first attempt at walking, and we all laugh as he tells us. He seems so full of life now. I haven't seen Marcus this happy in a while, either. Everyone is finishing off their food. Mother shoots a questioning look at me.

I take a deep breath.

"Everyone, Marcus and I have an announcement to make." I say. I feel like I'm trembling. I take a deep breath."I-I'm…" I say. I try and get the words out, but none come. Marcus grabs my hand.

"Annelise is pregnant." He says.

No one moves, or makes any noise, except father who starts to choke on his food. I squeeze Marcus's hand, waiting for everyone's reaction. Mother pats father's back.

"Eep! I'm going to be an aunt!" Becca squeals.

"Me too!" Jane joins in. They both run up and hug us. I look up, and Daniel and Greg are smiling.

Father recovers and he just looks at us. I study him, trying to figure out what he's thinking.

"Congratulations." He says. I'm happy for a second, then confused. He takes notice.

"I know you're probably expecting a lecture, but I don't really see a problem. You have enough money to provide for the baby, you don't have to worry about finishing school. I think, financially, you will be fine. I don't know if you can handle it emotionally though." He says. I feel a flood of relief sweep over me. But I know he is thinking the about the games, too/

"I have something else to say." Marcus says. I look at him confused. He grabs my hand.

"Annelise, I love you. I knew from the minute I saw you that I would. Now we have a baby on the way." He says. He pulls out a small black box from his pocket and kneels down. I am in utter shock, and I look around at everyone else. My heart rate increases, and I can almost hear it pounding. Everyone is silent again, watching eagerly. A huge smile breaks across my face. He opens the box to reveal a ring. A gold ring with a sapphire in the middle, in the shape of a heart. My smile gets bigger.

"Will you marry me?" He asks. I hear Becca and Jane gasp next to me.

I nod my head.

"Of course." I say. He breaks into a huge smile and slips the ring on my finger. Everyone cheers and I pull Marcus in for a kiss. I keep my arms around him, kissing him. I realize I let out a few tears. Tears of pure joy.

"I'm going to be honest. I didn't see any of that coming." Daniel says. I look up and laugh. I can't say I expected it either. I wipe my eyes and Marcus sits back down in his chair. Everyone's smiling now, even my father. Mother is already babbling on about the wedding with father. Jane and Becca are jumping around, excited. Greg congratulates Marcus and hugs him. Daniel comes and gives me hug, then Marcus.

Marcus and I collect the plates and take them to the kitchen sink. The smile is still on both of our faces. I put the dishes in the sink and wrap my arms around Marcus's neck. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. I push my lips to his.

"I don't know how life could get any better." I say.

"It will in a few months." He says. I smile and give him another kiss.

"That reminds me. I have an appointment in three weeks for an ultrasound." I say.

His face lights up.

"Will we find out the gender?" He asks.

"That's not until I'm five months along." I say.

"Well why don't we wait until then?" He asks.

"Ok. We will wait until then." I say.

Then something hits me. Five months from now, we will be mentoring two tributes.

"Let's do it a little before then. I'm sure five months is just an estimate." I say.

He gives me a questioning look, and then he realizes my reason.

"Ok." He says. I dismiss myself to call Kaitlynn.

I tell her everything and she practically passes out.

"I knew you two would end up married! Let me guess, your mom's planning the wedding already." She says. She knows my family too well.

"Of course. And Guess who my maid of honor is?" I say.

"Um… Becca!" She says jokingly.

"Um… Nope. So, will you be my maid of honor?" I ask.

"Of course!" She says.

The months pass and my stomach grows bigger. I don't do much anymore, except eat and sleep. And even that is strict. Marcus has gone as far as carrying me everywhere so I don't have to walk, and he won't let me have anything unhealthy. He spends almost every second with me, making sure the baby and I are fine. I almost feel bad that everything he does is revolved around us.

Mother has been planning the wedding since Marcus first asked me, with the help of Kaitlynn. They sent out invitations and set the date on May 21st. Marcus and I decided that we will get the ultrasound right before the wedding, and announce the gender during the reception.

The ceremony and reception will be held in our backyard. The wedding is tomorrow, and the final preparations are being put in place.

Marcus and I bought a house together that we will move in to after the wedding. But it's close to ours, because he isn't ready to leave his father and Jane just yet. I understand though, and honestly im not ready to leave my family just yet either.

I lie in bed, rubbing my bulging stomach. I look around. Everything has been cleared out except for the bed. They moved all my stuff into our new house. Marcus lies by me, sleeping. Mother bursts into the room, carrying a bag. She wakes Marcus up and forces him out of the room. He tries to object, but it's my mother we're talking about.

She hangs the bag up and pulls out a dress. It's completely white, with delicate patterns stitched on the top. The skirt is big and fluffy.

"Try it on." She says. I get out of bed and she helps me put it on. It was tailored to fit comfortably over my stomach. She puts a small tiara on and fastens a veil on my head. I twirl around. I study the top, and the delicate design. Then I realize the significance of it. I have worn similar patterns many times.

Before I can ask about anything, someone comes in, carrying the bridesmaids' dresses. I spot red hair behind them, and a smile breaks across my face.

"Amber!" I shout. She lays the dresses down on my bed and rushes over to me.

"Annelise!" She shouts back.


	14. Chapter 15

She pulls me in for a hug.

"You look great!" She says. She pats my stomach.

"Boy or girl?" She asks.

"Marcus and I will find out before the wedding." I say. She smiles.

"I'm rooting for a boy." She says, laughing.

"How did you find out about everything?" I ask.

"A little birdie called me to make you a dress." She says. I immediately look at mother.

"That would be me." She says, raising her hand. I smile.

"Thank you."

"So Amber, are you going to be a bridesmaid?" I ask.

"Only if the bride will have me." She says.

"It would be my honor." She pulls out a blue dress.

"And it looks like this one is just my size." She says, teasingly. Of course she knew I would ask her to be in the wedding. Kaitlynn comes over and tries on her dress.

"Annelise, you look gorgeous." She says.

"You do too." I say. I look in the mirror a little longer. I can't believe it's finally happening. My baby is growing, tomorrow I'm getting married to the father of my child, the love of my life. My only worries are about the games…

I slip off the dress and carefully place it back in the bag. I put my t-shirt back on and my sweatpants. Kaitlynn twirls around in her dress, and it almost takes force to get her to take it off.

"You get to wear it all you want after tomorrow." I tell her. She finally takes it off and Amber slips it on the hanger. I wobble down stairs to the kitchen. I take my vitamins and make a sandwich. Marcus comes in and walks to the kitchen. He holds me from behind and kisses my neck. I turn around and kiss his lips.

"Good to see you." I say.

"Good to see you too." He says. He leans down and kisses my stomach.

"And I can't wait to see you." He says. I laugh.

I take my plate to the table and sit down to eat. Becca and Jane walk in, wearing their dresses. They are both going to be flower girls. Marcus asked Daniel to be his best man.

"Hey don't ruin those before tomorrow." I say. They giggle.

"We won't!" They say in unison.

Then they rush off to Becca's room. I look out the glass door into the backyard. Father and Greg are setting up the alter. Greg has been walking a lot more, and doing things like lifting and carrying. It's a remarkable improvement from six months ago, when he was stranded to a bed, unable to get up and move. I inhale the food and put my plate in the sink. I start to walk to the living room, but Marcus quickly scoops me up and carries me there. I roll my eyes.

"You don't have to carry me everywhere." I say.

Tomorrow couldn't come any faster. I was excited for the wedding, but more excited to finally find out the gender of my baby. I rub my hand over my stomach, smiling.

"I can't wait to meet you." I whisper.

I plop down on the couch and turn on the TV. Marcus comes and joins me. I lay my head on his lap and he rubs my stomach.

"You're going to make a great dad." I say. He smiles.

"You're going to make a great mother." He says.

I return the smile. We watch the TV for a while, and then Marcus speaks up.

"Whoa. I think I just felt the baby kick." He says. I rest my hand on my stomach. I feel a little nudge and I giggle.

"I think its saying hi." I say.

I continue watching the TV. I can hear mother arguing with Becca and Jane to get their dresses off. Father and Greg come in and plop down on the couch next to us.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Father asks. I nod my head and smile.

I let out a yawn and take a nap on Marcus's lap. I wake up around evening. I grab Marcus's hand and bring him up to my room. We lie down on my bed and wrap ourselves in my cover. He kisses me and rests his forehead on mine. I close my eyes and soon fall back asleep.

Marcus wakes me in the early morning.

"Its time." He says. A sleepy smile breaks on my face. We finally get to see our baby. I slip on some shoes and we head out the door. I hop into his car and we drive off. He has one hand on the steering wheel, and the other is holding mine. I can't help but feel excited. We get to the hospital and I literally run in. Marcus is close behind me. I rush to the receptionist's desk.

"Hello Miss Annelise. Your doctor is ready." She says. I grab hold of Marcus's hand and walk into the room. I sit on the table and Marcus sits across from me in a chair. We wait eagerly until the doctor comes in. She smiles.

"Ready?" She asks. We both nod eagerly.

She has me lie down and she puts some weird gel on my stomach and runs a device over it. An image pops up on the screen. I close my eyes. I want to be surprised.

"Oh my god." Marcus says.

"Congratulations. One of each." She says. I feel confused, then I look at the screen. Two little bodies appear. Another huge smile breaks across my face. Twins. One girl, one boy. Marcus is smiling too. We're having twins. Two babies. I have two little hearts beating inside of me. I start to cry tears of joy.

"Twins." I say. The doctor hands me a picture of the ultrasound. I clutch it to my chest. "Thank you doctor." I say.

"Its what I'm here for. I will see you again in two months for another checkup." She says. I thank her again and we get up to leave. We get in the car and I stare down at the picture. I can't wait to tell everyone. Marcus leans over and kisses me.

"I can't believe we're having two babies. Twice the fun." He says. I let out a small laugh.

A bunch of names run through my mind. I decide to wait until they arrive to pick names. I pat my stomach. This is more than I could hope for.


	15. Chapter 16

When we reach my house, I'm immediately dragged to my room, and Marcus is taken to another room. Mother and Amber do my hair and makeup while Kaitlynn does my nails. My hair is done in a curly updo, my nails painted a soft pink color.

They keep asking what the baby is, but I won't tell them. They slip the dress on me and I help them get ready. I start to feel really nervous to the point where I think I might throw up. I push it back, and try to steady my breathing. I look out the window and see everyone gathering in the backyard.

Marcus stands at the alter, talking and receiving congratulations from people. I smile when I see him. The wedding is going to start very soon, and the last of the guests are taking their seats. Someone knocks on my door, and father steps in.

"Ready?" He asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I say. He hugs me, and tears start to appear in his eyes. This makes my eyes watery and he wipes the tears away. I kiss his cheek.

"Let's do this." I say. We go to the back door and wait. Kaitlynn hands me my flowers and kisses my cheek.

Amber steps out and walks down as soft music plays, Then Kaitlynn, accompanied by Daniel. Then Becca and Jane walk down, throwing flowers down. I put my arm through fathers and everyone stands. I take a deep breath and we step out. I close my eyes for the first few seconds, and then I open them. Marcus is smiling ear-to-ear, and I can't help but smile back. We walk slowly, and it takes all I have to not run over to him.

When we reach the alter, I keep my eyes locked on Marcus, drowning out everything the pastor says. Father kisses my cheek and I step up next to Marcus. He grabs my hand and we face the pastor. He begins talking, but I don't catch much of what he says.

"I think I'm going to be sick." I whisper to Marcus.

"Baby sick or nervous sick?" He whispers back.

"Nervous sick." He squeezes my hand.

"It's going to be ok." He says. I start to respond, until I hear footsteps. The pastor has stopped talking, and I turn around. _Not again,_ I think. A group of men in black suits come down the aisle. They split open and President Stone steps out.

"Hello again Annelise." He says, his evil grin spreading. He takes a seat in the front row, the men standing on the sides, watching the audience. A camera crew steps out of my house.

"I hope you don't mind, I wanted to share this amazing day with the rest of America." He says. I do mind, very much. But I'm not going to tell him that.

"I see the babies are coming along well." He adds. I hear a few gasps in the crowd. Thank you for ruining another part of my wedding.

"They are. Can we get back to the ceremony?" I say, harshly.

"Indeed." He replies. The camera crew sets up cameras around the perimeter of the yard. I try to wipe my face clean of anger. How did he know I was getting married?

_And remember, I'm always watching._

His words replay in my head. Of course he found out. He delivered on his promise, and now he has ruined our special day. Now I have gone past hate. I have reached a new level of emotions that I didn't know existed. I consider killing him myself, but quickly brush away those thoughts. I can't even think about doing anything so irrational, not with so much on the line. I need to stop only thinking about me. I need to start thinking of the future, the future of my children, my family. I need to put them first, above anything.

I snap back to reality when the pastor tells us to face each other. I turn and see Marcus, still as happy as ever. No matter how angry I am, he is the only person who can make me happy again. The pastor has us repeat some lines to each other.

"May I have the rings?" He asks. Kaitlynn hands me Marcus's and I hand her my flowers. She gives me a reassuring smile.

"Annelise, do you take Marcus to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" I take his hand a slip the ring on.

I look directly in his eyes. "I do."

"And Marcus, do you take Annelise be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" He slips the ring on my finger.

"I do." He says, still smiling.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." He says. Marcus holds my hands and leans in. His lips meet mine. My body starts to tingle again, and for a moment everyone else disappears, and its just Marcus and I.

We break apart and face the crowd, hand in hand.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I present, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Williams." He says. We walk back down the aisle as everyone cheers. Many people are teary eyed, even the cameramen. We head inside, and everyone follows shortly after. Mother hired a photographer, so we have to take pictures while a crew sets up the reception. I take pictures with Marcus, Becca and Jane, Amber and Kaitlynn, Mother and father, and Greg. Then Marcus takes pictures, and I go to the backyard and watch as they set up decorations, lights, food, and tables.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Williams." The icy voice sends chills through my body. I turn around and say harshly.

"Thanks."

"Now now, no need to be hostile. You're not in trouble. You're Americas' sweethearts. America has grown to love you two. What kind of president would I be to rid them of the opportunity to see you two married?"

"What kind of president would rid them of their safety and freedom by forcing innocent children to kill each other?" I say, my voice rising. I immediately clasp my hand over my mouth. Stupid! Why did I say that!

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean it." I say. I did mean it, but im sure he already knows that.

"I understand. Your hormones make you a little moody." He says. He must have to be able to brush off criticism easily, since everyone in America pretty much hates him.

"Thanks for understanding." I say, trying to sound sorry. But something tells me I won't be so easily forgiven.

"I wish I could stay for the reception, but I have some important buisness to attend to. But I hope you don't mind if the cameras stay." He says.

"Not at all." I say.

The men surround him once again and he leaves. By now, everyone starts to file out into the backyard. Family and friends congratulate us, and I even get to meet some of Marcus's family that live out of state. Marcus comes up behind me and kisses my neck, wrapping his arms around me.

"Hello Mrs. Williams." He says.

I giggle and kiss him.

"Should we tell everyone now?" I ask.

"Might as well. Stone kind of dropped the bomb on that one." He says. I grab his hand and walk by the DJ's stand and grab a microphone. I tap on it and everyone looks our way.

"Hi. Marcus and I wanted to let you guys know about our baby." I say.

Everyone stops moving, all attention on us.

"First, I want to say… We're having twins." I say. Silence. Then, everyone erupts in applause. I hand the microphone to Marcus.

"One boy, one girl." He says. The applause gets louder and some people come up and hug us, congratulating us again.


	16. Chapter 17

The night is perfect. Although the camera's bother me, I don't pay too much attention to them. I never let go of Marcus's hand all night. I hear Mother's voice break over the music.

"Attention everyone, please clear the floor for the bride and groom's first dance." She says. Everyone stands and lines the floor. Now I start to feel nervous again. All eyes on me. Marcus pulls me out on the floor. His hands rest on my waist and mine rest on his shoulders. The music plays and we start dancing.

"Everyone's looking at us." I whisper. He lets out a silent laugh.

"Well of course they are. You're gorgeous."

I roll my eyes.

"I think you overshadow me." I say, and before he can respond, I kiss him.

He rests his head on top of mine while we dance. I close my eyes, only aware of the man I now call my husband in front of me. The music ends, but I don't notice. Everyone's claps bring me back. I look up at Marcus and he kisses me one more time. We walk hand in hand as people file back onto the dance floor. We chat with a few more people before father comes and grabs my hand.

He pulls me out to the center of the dance floor.

"I wanted a daddy-daughter dance." He says. I smile.

We move back and forth, then I notice a tear escape from his eyes. I wipe it away.

"Don't go soft on me now." I joke. He smiles, but a few more tears escape.

"My baby girl isn't a baby anymore." He says. This is it. Now I'm crying too. I lay my head on his chest, crying. He rubs my back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. You're just growing up so fast. I still think of you as a little girl, but I know you're not." He says. I wipe my tears away and look up.

"You know I'll always be your little girl, no matter what." I say. It feels like its my birthday again, but under completely different circumstances.

"So are you excited to be a grandpa?" I ask.

"Oh thrilled, two miniature versions of you running around." He jokes. I laugh.

"Well maybe we'll get lucky and they'll end up like Marcus." I say.

"We're not that lucky." He jokes again.

"Haha you're so funny." I say, rolling my eyes. The song is over and I raise myself and kiss his cheek.

"I love you daddy." I say. He pulls me close and wraps his arms around me.

"I love you too darling." He replies. I walk off the dance floor and find Marcus again. I slip my hand into his again and he pulls me over and kisses me. I sit down. These high heels are killing me so I kick them off. I don't know who had the bright idea to put me in heels, but I quickly guess it was Amber's. And almost on cue, she sits across from me.

"Were the shoes a bad idea?" She asks.

"A little." I admit.

She nods and then tells me about the people she has met here. I'm glad to see she can fit in. I guess I figured she was so used to wild parties in D.C., that she would get bored or would try to 'spice up' the party. But she fits in, already making friends with our families.

The night goes on. Dancing, talking, running around. Everyone has a smile on their face and everyone is having a good time. Too soon the night ends, and everyone slowly leaves. Jane and Becca are completely worn out, and immediately retire to Becca's room when everyone leaves. They kiss us both goodnight and head up.

"We're headed home. Goodnight guys, and thank you for this." I say. Father, mother, and Greg give us a hug and tell us goodnight. I hold on to Marcus's hand as we walk through the house and out the front door. His car waits in the driveway, and I slip into the passenger seat.

"Ready to see our new home?" He asks. I smile and nod my head. We kiss and he drives off. Our house is only ten minutes away from our old homes, and is set even further back in the woods than our old homes. We pull up and I'm so excited, I hop out of the car before he turns it off. He comes over and scoops me up.

"Let's check it out." He says. I wrap my arms around his neck. The first thing I notice is the front porch. A chair hangs from the roof, and another chair across from it. I open the door and we walk in. He puts me down and I flip on the light. My mouth hangs open at the house. I didn't see the size from outside, but inside it's huge. When you walk in, you enter into the living room, which is huge. Then you walk through an opening into a hallway, which has a door that opens into a bathroom. At the end of the hallway is the kitchen and dining room. They are both the size of the living room.

A set of stairs lines the wall in the dining room, and leads to three bedrooms. One is massive, and even has its own bathroom.

"I have a little surprise for you." He says. He covers my eyes and leads me through the house.

He takes his hand away and I open my eyes. A nursery has been set up. There is two of everything in pink and in blue. The walls are painted with pictures of cute animals. Two rocking chairs are against the left wall, two cribs against the back wall, and toys and stuffed animals against the right wall.

"Do you like it?" He asks. I step in and look around.

"Perfect." I say. I walk back to him and kiss him.

"Thank you." I say. He grabs my hand and takes me to our bedroom. I immediately walk to the bed and fall onto it.

"Nice and soft." I say. Marcus falls down next to me.

"What do you think of the house?" He asks.

"I love it. Let me guess, my mother decorated." I say.

"She had a lot of fun with it." He replies. I laugh.

I let out a yawn. I sit up and take off my veil and lay it next to the picture frame Marcus gave me.

"Tired?" He asks. I nod my head.

"I'm going to change real quick." I say. I open the closet, which is a walk in closet, and grab one of Marcus's shirts and a pair of sweatpants. I walk to the bathroom to change. I'm in shock again at the size of the bathroom alone. It almost looks like a spa in here. I carefully remove my dress and place it on a hanger. I change and walk back out. Marcus is already changed and laying under the blankets. I turn the light off and slip in next to him. We lay facing each other. His hand rests on my stomach, and he gives me a kiss.

"Annelise Williams. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He says. I giggle.

"It sounds perfect. Almost like it was meant to be." I say.

I put my hand on my stomach.

"What should we name them? I already have a name in mind for the girl." I say.

"I had one picked out for the boy." He says. I smile.

"Ok, you name the boy, and I'll name the girl. What name did you pick?" I ask.

"I was thinking Jackson for his first name, and naming him after your father for his middle name. Jackson David Williams." He says. I let it sink in.

"Perfect." I reply.

"What name did you have in mind for her?" He asks.

"I wanted to name her after Sarah. And for her middle name, after your mother. Sarah Ruby Williams." I say. I hope he likes it. I know he still misses his mother dearly.

"I love it. Sarah and Jackson." He says. I'm glad he liked it. I give him another kiss before I fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 18

Ten days. Ten days until the Reaping. I know I'm not ready, but it won't matter. Two lives will depend on me. Well, not completely, they have to be able to carry out everything I have to teach them. And if I fail at teaching them, it's the difference between life and death. I just hope I can keep myself together for them. I know I will have Marcus at my side, and there is no doubt he is pretty much carrying this on his shoulders.

I stay laying down on the bed, thinking about this. Marcus got up a while before me and went to cook breakfast. I was going to help, but he told me to stay in bed, that he would bring it to me. It was hard to object. Then I start thinking about him. He is always doing things for me, keeping me happy. When was the last time I did something for him, that was all about him? I rack my brain for the answer, but what I find pales in comparison to all he's done for me. I decide I should do something for him, but what? He deserves so much, so what can I do to show him how much I appreciate him?

Marcus opens the door and I sit up. He is carrying a tray with two big plates, filled with eggs, bacon, toast, biscuits and gravy, and a glass of apple juice. I smile.

"You're the best." I say. He kisses the top of my head and sit's the tray on my lap. He takes his place back next to me. I pick up my fork and finish off half the plate before he even takes a second bite.

"You're a pretty good cook too." I tell him.

"I like to think so." He says. I laugh and go back to eating my breakfast. Its quite good actually, and its gone soon.

I wait for him to finish and he takes the plates. I get up and follow him down to the kitchen. He puts the dishes in the dishwasher that's under the counter. He shuts the door and walks in front of me, leans down and kisses me. I smile and pull him back down for another kiss. I hear a knock at the door and go to answer it. Becca and Jane are waiting eagerly.

"Hi Annelise! We wanted to come by and see the house." Becca says. I step aside and motion for them to come in. They immediately gasp.

"Its so big!" Jane says, and I can't help but laugh at their reactions. Marcus walks in and they both immediately run up and hug him. He easily scoops both of them up in his arms and asks them if they want a tour. They nod their heads and he carries them around the house. I remember I need to take my vitamins and go to the kitchen to do so. Then I head back to our room to take a shower. I can hear the girls' giggling. I wash away all the wedding makeup and scrub myself clean.

The next nine days go by extremely slow, with nothing to do and nothing to break me from my lethargy. Marcus waits on me hand and foot, which makes me feel bad but he insists. I try and devise a way to thank him, to show him my appreciation, but I can't. Every idea I come up with seems so cliché or just not good enough. He keeps doing nice things, which just makes it harder and harder to think of something. I know he does it out of love but still…

Before I know it, I'm slipping into a nice dress and fixing my hair for the reaping. No one smiles today, not even Marcus. Marcus, Jane, Greg and I all pile into Marcus's car. Jane is wearing the same dress as last year, except in pink. The drive takes an hour, and no one is speaking. We arrive at the capitol building and find a parking space. Without saying a word, I kiss the top of Jane's head, give Marcus a kiss and go off to find my family. Becca is wearing a blue and white dress and her hair is curled, and Daniel is wearing a white shirt and khakis. They both wear the same look as everyone around. I grab Becca's hand and we continue on.

I take her to the thirteen year old girls section and squeeze her tight, telling her everything will be ok. She gets lost in the group and I go to find Daniel. I hug him and tell him the same thing.

On stage, four chairs are set up, and the mayor and DeAnne claim two of them. DeAnne spots me and waves me over, so I take a seat next to her. She scans the crowd for Marcus, and waves him up onto the stage. He sits down next to me and I immediate slip my hand into his. I look out into the massive crowd of kids, wondering who is getting pick. I pray that it won't be Jane Daniel or Becca.

The last of the people arrive and DeAnne steps up to the microphone.

"Welcome citizens of Kentucky. The time has come to select one male and one female to represent Kentucky in our second annual Hunger Games!" She says in her nasally voice. Weak claps from the crowd. She hands it over to the mayor.

He welcomes everyone, and begins by telling how we ended up in the position we are in now. He tells how the games work, then hands it back over to DeAnne. Same as last year.

"And I would just like to congratulate again the first ever victors, Annelise and Marcus. They will be the mentors of the two selected tributes." She says. Another round of weak claps, and I give a small wave. I spot Kaitlynn, and she sees me. She gives me the tiniest smile and I give my head a nod.

DeAnne makes her way over to the girls' glass ball. Two slips, one saying Jane Williams, another Becca Stague are hidden amongst the thousands of other names.

"Ladies first!" DeAnne says. Her hand slips in, and she swirls it around. I realize I'm squeezing Marcus's hand tightly. She pulls a slip out and walks back to the microphone, holding the slip above her head. She brings it back down and opens it up.

"Emma Smith." She reads. I actually let out a sigh of relief, and I can see relief sweep through the girls sections. A girl steps out from the sixteen year old section. She is tall, blonde hair and brown eyes. She remains as emotionless as Marcus was when he got picked. She takes her place on stage and DeAnne walks swiftly to the boy's ball. Her hand reaches in and comes out again, holding another slip. In front of the microphone, she opens it and reads out the name.

"Derek Hill." She reads out, and I am fully relieved. A boy from the fourteen year old group steps out, and he is actually holding back a smile. The first thought that comes to my mind is that this kid is crazy. He is tall for his age, with black hair and brown eyes.

"Kentucky's tributes, Emma Smith and Derek Hill!" DeAnne shouts into the microphone. The crowd claps, and Emma and Derek are taken for their visiting hour.


	18. Chapter 19

Everyone in the crowd joins their parents and head off. I spot Mother, father and Greg with the kids. Marcus and I step off the stage and go to them, greeting them with hugs. They're safe for another year, and that's all that matters to me right now. DeAnne comes up to us and lets us know we need to get on the plane soon. I guess we need to be on it before the tributes.

Father comes up to me and hugs me. He kisses the top of my head.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm sure you'll do great." He says. I nod my head.

"I hope so." I say. We say our final goodbyes and follow DeAnne to board the plane. We take a seat in the TV room where we will meet our tributes.

I wonder what we will have to work with. Will they be weak, scared little kids? Judging by their reactions to being chosen, I wouldn't think so. What are their skills? Do they even have any? I replay in my mind every piece of advice that my father gave me when he was in my position. I plan on passing that advice down to Emma and Derek.

I am snapped out of my thoughts by DeAnne.

"Did you have fun?" She asks.

"Fun during what?" I ask. She must have been talking to me for a while.

"The wedding." She says.

"Oh. Yea! It was great." I say, still half in my thoughts.

"Have you two decided what you're naming them?" She asks. I look at her, confused, before I realize what she's talking about.

"Oh, yes. Sarah and Jackson." I reply.

"Lovely names." She says. She and Marcus continue on with the conversation, and I'm thrown back into my thoughts.

The hour is up, and Emma and Derek step into the TV room. I stand up and shake both of their hands.

"Hi Emma, Derek." I say. Derek greets me back, but Emma doesn't say anything. She just glares at us. I brush it off and we all go to the dining room for lunch. They bring out our food and we dig in.

"So tell me, do you guys have any special skills we should know about?" Marcus asks.

"No." Is all Emma says.

"I'm good with a spear." Derek says. "And camouflaging."

"Very handy. Emma, are you sure there is nothing-" Marcus starts.

"I'm positive." She interrupts, never looking up from her food. She strikes me as very hostile, and I can already tell she isn't going to be easy to work with.

"Well you're not very useful." Derek says. Emma looks up, and slams her fork on the table.

"Excuse me?" She demands. He looks shocked at her reaction, and bows his head.

"Nothing." He replies. I watch, and study Emma. She has a lot of fire, that's for sure. And she's definitely not soft. Maybe there is hope for us. No one says anything for a while after that, until DeAnne speaks up.

"Tomorrow we will be landing in Washington D.C. where you will be put in the hands of your stylists and prepared for the tribute dinner." She says to Emma and Derek. Derek nods, and again, Emma says nothing. We all retire to the TV room to watch the replay of the reapings.

"Get a good look at everyone to see what you're up against." I say.

We watch every state's reaping. The competition this year looks fierce, and it looks like everyone has been training. I guess I wouldn't blame them.

"So have you guys been training?" I ask.

"I have." Derek says. Emma only gives her head a slight nod.

"So what have you been trained with Emma?" I ask her.

"Everything I need." She says, harshly.

"Would you like to share with us what that would be?" I ask.

"No." She says. She is glaring at me, and I can't help but look away from her gaze.

We sit for a while longer watching news coverage and commentary on the reapings. The entire time you can feel tension in the room between Emma and everyone else. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I guess being picked to die can do that to a person.

"Dinner is to be served soon." DeAnne says. So we all get up and go to the dining room and wait. Trying to break the awkward silence, DeAnne asks Derek and Emma a question.

"So tell us about yourselves. Do you have any siblings?"

"I have an older sister. She's nineteen. And a younger brother, He's only ten." Derek says. "What about you dear?" DeAnne asks Emma.

"No." She says. DeAnne looks over at us, and I just give her a slight shrug.

"Well tell us about you. Do you have any hobbies?" She tries again. Emma seems to have had enough, and stands up.

"Look, I'm here to go into these stupid games and either die or win. I don't need to share with you all this. Just leave me alone and let me do my own thing, I don't need your help." She says, and storms off to her room. Now I'm almost half tempted to take her up on her offer, but I know I have to help her, no matter how much she refuses.

"Uh… well I still need you guys." Derek says.

"At least someone does." I hear Marcus mumble under his breath. They serve us dinner and we eat, but no one talks. I stop halfway through and grab Emma's plate.

"I'm going to go take it to her." I say.

I walk down the hallway and to her door. I knock on it and wait for her to open it. It swings open and she stands with her arms crossed across her chest.

"What?" She says, harshly. I hold out the plate to her.

"Here." Is all I can think to say. She jerks it out of my hand and nods, and then slams the door in my face. Ok now I don't care if I'm her mentor or not, I really don't like her. But I tell myself there has to be another reason she acts like this, not just because she's in this mess. I intend to find out what it is.

I walk back to the dining room, where everyone watches me, waiting for me to tell them what happened. Instead I sit down and ask someone to pass me the salt. They all look away and go back to their food, and Marcus hands me the salt. We finish and Derek excuses himself to his room. DeAnne does as well, which leaves Marcus and I alone.

"What are we going to do about that girl?" He asks.

"I don't know. She has a lot of fire, which can help her, but if she won't let us help her, there isn't much we can do." I respond.

He nods his head and stands up. I stand up to, and we head to my room. I change into a plain shirt and pants, and slip into bed next to Marcus. He kisses me and closes his eyes. I lay and stare up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a plan to get through to Emma.


	19. Chapter 20

I jolt awake to Marcus shaking me.

"Are you ok?" He asks.

"Yea, why? Was I thrashing around?" I ask.

"And screaming for someone to run." He adds. I try and think if I had a dream, but nothing comes to mind. That's weird. It's still dark outside, so I drift back into a dreamless slumber.

I wake back up, and sun is shining through the window. Marcus is still sleeping and I decide to let him sleep longer. I change into a red shirt and black pants.

I open my locket and look at the pictures inside. I already miss them, and I haven't even been gone a full day. I shut it and head to the dining hall, where Derek and Emma await. Emma has her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes follow me, but she never says a word. I sit across from her, and Derek greets me.

"Good morning."

"Good morning Derek," I say then look over at Emma, "Good morning Emma."

She rolls her eyes.

"Yea, it's great. Only a little longer until my possible death." She says sarcastically.

Ugh.

They serve the breakfast and DeAnne joins us at the table. Marcus is still sleeping, and we go ahead and start eating.

"Hello. Are you two excited for the tribute dinner tonight?" She asks Emma and Derek. Derek nods and smiles.

"Sure. Eating with the enemies. How fun." Emma says, again, sarcastically. Now I've had enough. I stab my fork into the wooden table and stand up, leaning over the table to her.

"Emma, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to knock it off. I don't care how much you hate life or you hate this, but at least try and show some decency." I yell. She pushes her chair out from behind her and leans across the table, her face in front of mine.

"I don't need to do anything. Why don't you just try and make me? I would love to see you try. I don't care who you are, and I don't care that you are knocked up, but I swear I will knock you out." She says.

"Try it!" I shout back. I didn't know anyone could pull this kind of anger out of me, but she has. And she actually tries to hit me. I dodge her blow and her arm slips out from under her, causing her to crash to the table. I run up behind her and pin her shoulders down. She is screaming terrible things at me and I'm screaming back.

Marcus comes running in and grabs me, pulling me off of her. I'm still yelling at her and thrashing around. She gets up and starts to come towards me, ready to fight, but Derek steps in front of her and holds her back. He is almost as tall as her, only about an inch off from her, and she is almost as tall as Marcus. We yell at each other and thrash around while they hold us back. Marcus literally drags me out of the room, but I don't stop yelling. Even DeAnne is yelling now, trying to stop everything. Derek is screaming for Emma to stop. Marcus is trying to calm me down. It's very chaotic. He drags me to my room and shuts the door. I stop yelling and thrashing, but I'm fired up and anger is boiling inside of me.

"Annelise, sit down." Marcus says. His voice is quiet, but demanding. I sit down and clench my teeth and shut my eyes, trying to calm down. Of course, my first year as a mentor and I get the most difficult tribute.

"Are you calm yet?" Marcus asks. I nod my head.

"Ok. Tell me what happened." He says, and so I do.

"She was being completely rude and just plain hateful." I end.

"I agree that she was wrong, but you can't attack our tributes." He says.

"I didn't! She tried to hit me. All I did was pin her down." I say, defensively.

"Ok, ok. I believe you. But you need to work on your temper." He says, which causes me to scowl.

"I do not! She's the one who needs to work on their personality!" I yell. I quickly stop myself, and Marcus laughs.

"My point exactly. Tell you what, I'll train her and you train Derek." He offers. I take this into consideration.

"Deal." I say. We get up to go back to the dining room. We arrive and Emma isn't there. I give DeAnne a questioning look.

"She stormed off when you left." She says. I take my seat and finish my food. No one is talking, and Emma steps into the dining room. Everyone stops and watches her, and she looks at me.

"Sorry." She says. Her voice isn't sarcastic, or rude, or sorry. It's very flat and plain.

"Me too." I say, equally flat. She sits back down and goes back to eating her food. All I feel is tension the entire time. Everyone retires to their own room, and I take a shower. I do next to nothing until lunch. I don't have much of an appetite, so I let Marcus go on without me. I doze off until Marcus wakes me, letting me know we are finally landing in D.C.

We exit the plane, and Derek and Emma are taken to the stylists. Emma's stylist is going to be Amber, and I'm almost tempted to warn her that Emma can be hard to deal with. While their prep teams get them ready, amber comes and visits Marcus and I in my room. I get up and give her a hug.

"So how is this year's pair?" She asks.

"Um," I say, "Derek is nice. Emma is…" I try and think of a word for her.

"Let's just say we have already got into a fight." I say. Amber shakes her head.

"What are we going to do with you?" She says.

"I still haven't figured that out." Marcus jokes. We all laugh until Jasmine comes in.

"Amber, she's- Annelise! It's so good to see you again!" She says.

"It's good to see you too Jasmine." I reply, and give her a hug.

"Oh I watched your wedding on TV, and it was just beautiful!" She squeals.

"Thank you. I wish you could have been there." I say, and this puts a huge smile on her face. Then she babbles on about a dress she has that would have been perfect to wear.

"Anyways, Amber, Emma is ready for you. She was very rude! She yelled at us because we gave her some suggestions on her appearance." She says.

"That sounds like Emma." I mumble. They both leave and Marcus and I are left alone again.

"Today was an interesting day." I say.

"Hey, it can only get better from here." He says. I smile and lean in and press my lips to his.

"I haven't done that yet today." I say, and he pulls me back in. I feel the babies starting to kick and I giggle. I pull Marcus's hand to my stomach where you can feel a little nudge. He laughs too. Amber knocks on my door again, letting me know that they're ready. We step out, where she has Emma in a long pink dress. It's very girly. Her hair is short, so the most Amber could do was straighten it. Derek is in a suit, with a red tie.

"Ok, link arms and wait until they announce you." Amber says, as she takes them away. She comes back and says,

"That girl is something. I almost had to wrestle her into that dress! She said it was too girly for her, but I think pink compliments her skin tone well." She says. I laugh, "I warned you."

We all go to my room to watch the dinner on TV. They announce Emma and Derek, and they descend the stairs. Of course, Emma isn't smiling, but Derek is giving it all he's got. They take a seat, and Derek happily chats with other tributes. Emma, however, keeps to her self and crosses her arms. I can't say I expected her to smile. Marcus orders us something to eat, and I watch the president come out.

Everyone claps, except for Emma. She's playing with fire now. He greets them, gives a small speech, then the food is served. A chef brings our food to our room, and I watch and eat at the same time. It's almost the exact same thing as last year, same food, same stories the president tells. My eyes flick over to Stone's face, and I'm filled with the same rage I always feel when I see him. He is studying someone, and he looks in Emma's direction. Maybe he noticed she didn't clap. Or maybe, he just wants to see who my tributes are.

I'm sure he would love it for the first victors' tributes to die.


	20. Chapter 21

The meal continues on, until it's over. Everyone gets up, links with their partner, and heads off. The president shakes everyone's hand as they pass by. I feel tense as Emma and Derek step up. He shakes Derek's hand, and reaches out for Emma's. She looks down at it for a few seconds, and then shakes his hand. I feel relieved. At least she's not crazy enough to defy the president.

They go up the stairs and I sigh. That girl has guts, that's for sure. I decide I need to talk to her, to get to the bottom of all her anger. I get up and walk out the door, and Marcus runs up behind me.

"Where're you going?" He asks. I turn and face him, walking backwards.

"I'll be right back." I say, then turn around and continue on to Emma's room. She isn't there yet, and I open the door and take a seat on a chair that sits by a small table in the corner. I wait for a few minutes, until she opens the door and flips the light on. She walks in and kicks off her shoes, flinging them across the room. She mumbles something about Amber under her breath. She sits down on the bed, and spots me. I expected her to jump or something, but she acts like she knew I was here.

"Can I help you with something?" She says, harshly.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you some questions." I say.

"Well I don't want to answer." She replies.

"Oh, I don't care, but you will listen." I say. Her eyes narrow on me.

"Whatever. Just say what you need and get out."

"I just want to know one thing. Why are you acting this way? You have been nothing but hateful since I met you, you tried to fight me. And on top of that, you didn't clap for the president, and you almost didn't shake his hand. Are you trying to make your life a living hell in that arena?" I ask.

"Why should I show him any sign of respect? I don't respect him! I wouldn't even spit in his direction!" She says.

"And no one can blame you. But at least try not to show him how openly you hate him." I say.

"You can't understand the hate I have for him." She says.

"I think I might, if you let me know why." I say. I know hate is a strong word, and I have never hated anyone except the president. What reason would she have to hate him that would be different from everyone else's? Then she gives in and tells me.

"He killed my father." She says. I'm momentarily confused.

"What?" Is all I can pull up. She looks around and lowers her voice some.

"My father was the leader of the group that led the uprising in our state. The president had him executed." She says, and for the first time, I see an emotion in her eyes I haven't seen before. Not hatred, but sorrow. And she is actually in danger of crying. So that's where she gets her defying spirit, fueled by hatred. I remember watching a newscast on the leaders of the uprisings. The president did order an execution of all the leaders. Now I wonder if it was pure coincidence that she was chosen, or if he found out who her father was and rigged the reaping.

"I'm sorry." I say.

"Don't be. I don't need anyone's pity." She says. I nod my head and get up.

"Get some sleep, you have a parade to attend tomorrow." I say. She doesn't respond, and I walk out of the room with a new perspective. She has a good reason for how she acts, even if it could be controlled a little…

I come back to my room, where I find Amber gone and Marcus waiting on the bed.

"I'm back." I say, and I plop down on the bed.

"Where'd you run off too?" He asks.

"I went to check on Emma and Derek." I say. He nods his head.

"I'm going to hop in the shower." He says.

"Have fun." I joke.

He gets in and I lay down, quickly falling asleep. I wake back up in the morning. My eyes flutter open and Marcus puts a few strands of hair behind my ear.

"Good morning beautiful." He says, and kisses me.

"Good morning." I say, with a smile. He props himself up on one elbow.

"I already ordered some breakfast. It should be up soon." He says, and a knock follows.

"That should be it." He says. He gets up and opens the door. A chef comes in and hands him a tray with two plates on it, and Marcus thanks him. The room fills with the smell of a food I don't know the name of, but it looks like some sort of pancake, and its filled with cream cheese and strawberries. I bite into one, and it tastes amazing. I devour both in under five minutes.

"Mm. That was delicious. What's it called?" I ask.

"Crepes." He says. I almost ask for more, but I resists.

"We need to make sure they're ready for the parade." I say. He's still eating, so I offer to get them up. I make my way to Derek's room, where he is still sleeping. I shake him awake.

"Wake up. Your prep team will be here soon to prepare you for the parade." I say. He moans and sits up, throwing the covers off of him. He rubs his eyes and thanks me. I nod and head out and go to Emma's room. Her prep team is already there, and there faces light up when I walk in.

"Annelise, its good to see you again!" Heather says in her high voice. She is tiny and her voice is so high, it reminds me of a mouse.

"Hi Heather, hi Lori." I say. Lori beams,

"Hello. I didn't think you would remember our names." She says.

"How could I forget you guys?" I say. This seems to put them in a good mood, but Emma just rolls her eyes.

"Well I came to wake her up, but looks like you took care of that." I say, and dismiss myself. I wonder what Amber will put Emma in, and as if she heard my thoughts, she pokes her head out of a door and waves me in.

I step into a room that is covered with drawings of outfits and fabric laying all over the floor and covering the wall. In the middle stands a mannequin wearing what I assume is Emma's parade dress. The top is a pink color, and it almost looks like a wrap. Its strapless, and it wraps around the chest, with one strip that crosses diagonally over the stomach to the skirt. Its sparkly all over the top. The skirt is one shade darker, and it looks like folded napkins layered on top of each other, falling just below the knees.

"Wow. I would love to see her reaction to it." I say. I might take her side on this one. I mean, I wouldn't wear it. Its very revealing, but lets face it, sponsors love good looking tributes and Emma has that quality. I guess Amber thought of this before I did. Heather comes in and tells us that Emma is ready. Amber carefully removes the dress from the mannequin and we exit the room. We walk down the hallway to Emma's room, where she is sitting in her robe waiting. As soon as her eyes land on the dress, they widen in alarm.

"Oh no. I am not wearing that." She says, and then her and Amber argue for a good few minutes before I intervene. I grab Emma by her arm and pull her to the corner of the room.

"Look, I'll admit, if I were you, I wouldn't want to wear that. But you need to face it. You want sponsors right?" I whisper. She gives her head a slight nod.

"The best looking tributes are the ones who get more sponsors. And, like it or not, you are one of them. Amber is just taking advantage of that." I say. She lets this sink in, before she lets out a huff.

"Fine, I'll wear it." She says, and walks back over to Amber. Amber looks over at me with a pleased expression, and she slips the dress on Emma and fiddles with it to fit just right. Emma doesn't look happy, but she doesn't look like she completely loathes it. She puts on her shoes, which are silver and very tall heels. She has no trouble walking in them, and we step out into the hallway, where Derek is. He is in a suit similar to the one Marcus wore on our tribute parade, but red instead of sapphire blue.

Marcus walks up beside me and takes one look at Emma.

"Whoa. Emma looks good." He says. I look over and raise one eyebrow, and he grabs my hand.

"But not as good as you." He says and lets out a nervous laugh. I roll my eyes.

"Nice save." I say sarcastically. Emma gives a smirk.

"Lets go." Amber says, and we follow her to the elevator. We descend until we reach the garage, where the chariots await. We lead Emma and Derek to their chariot, and they hop in. I look around and notice some other tributes. Last year, all the dresses were plain, except my extravagant dress. Now, you can see that almost every stylists has tried to incorporate pieces of Amber's designs. Some dresses adorn jewels, and other tributes wear crowns on their heads. I can't help but laugh at this.

The music starts to blare and I wave goodbye to them. Amber leads us back to the elevator and we go up a floor. The door opens to a lounge full of people. I haven't seen them before.

"This is the mentor's lounge." Amber says. I look around, and take it in. A huge TV is on the wall directly across from us, and couches are spread around. I step in, and a women comes up to me.

"Hi sweetie. I'm Mary. I'm the mentor for South Carolina." She says, and she has a heavy southern accent. South Carolina. That means she was Sarah's mentor.

"Hi Mary. Its nice to meet you." I respond. She shakes my hand, and then Marcus's. An image pops up on the big TV, and she invites us to sit next to her in front of it. The parade is on, and lines of chariots pour out of the White House garage. I watch as Kentucky's chariot pulls out, and Derek has on a winning smile. Emma gives a sarcastic smile, but it quickly fades. _Give them something! _I think. And as if she could hear my thoughts, she musters up a small smile and waves to the crowd.

_Thank you!_ I say in my head.


	21. Chapter 22

She keeps up the smile for a good majority of the parade. People absolutely love her dress, and I know Amber has done it again. The crowd is going crazy, cheering out their favorite tribute's name. I hear Emma and Derek's names shouted a few times. The chariots finish their lap, and they drop the tributes off at the front gates of the White House, where they link arms and march into the house. The last of the tributes enter the massive doors and close behind them. Then the program is over.

"Well that was lovely." Mary says. I nod in agreement.

"So this is the mentor's lounge, huh? Is this where we watch the games?" I ask.

"Yes it is. Here sweetie, I'll give you the grand tour." She says. She shows us around, explaining how everything works. During the games, every mentor has an individual screen that shows what their tribute is doing at all times. Its touch screen, and along the side of the screen is an icon with a silver parachute. If a sponsor has offered a gift for your tribute, it will appear and you can simply tap it and it will be sent to your tribute.

"Seems simple enough," Marcus says.

"It's very easy. And the big screen at the front of the room will be playing the live coverage that the rest of the country is seeing," she adds.

She shows us the mentor's bathroom, which is more like a spa.

"Well I hate to rush, but I must be going," she says. I tell her goodbye and she leaves.

"Let's go get them and talk about training tomorrow," I say, and slip my hand into Marcus's, guiding him out. I knock on Derek's door and let him know to change and meet in my room. I knock on Emma's door and tell her the same thing. She hesitates, but gives in. I walk back to my room with Marcus and order our food. The food arrives before Emma and Derek, but they quickly follow. They come in, take a seat, and grab a plate.

Before we start eating, I decide to address the training strategy.

"So we have decided that Marcus will work with Emma for training and interview prep, and I'll work with Derek," I say. Neither of them objects, and we go ahead and eat. Not much talking gets done, and the silence is very awkward. I'm the last one to finish and I pick up everyone's plates and set them on the table for the waiter to retrieve.

"Ok, let's talk strategy." I say to Derek.

"Emma, lets go to talk strategy." Marcus says and they get up to leave. For a minute, a feeling sweeps over me. I wouldn't call it jealousy, more along the line of worry. I push that away though. I trust Marcus, but Emma, I'm not sure. But I don't think she has any interest in that. I find it easier to blame the baby hormones than figuring out why I'm feeling the way I am.

"Tomorrow is your first day of training. I want you to avoid the stations your best at, and work on what you need to improve on," I say.

"So avoid the spears and knives, and work on snares, knots, and fire starting?" He asks.

"If that's what you need to work on, then yes." I say.

"Anything else?" He asks.

"I want you to pay attention to what Emma can do. Since you two will be partners, make sure you know her skills as well." I say

"Partners? With Emma? That requires cooperation, you know." He says. I laugh.

"When faced with life or death, you'd be surprised at how much someone can change." And it's true. I think back to when I was in the arena. Everyone did change. Shy Sarah killed without even blinking an eye; Evan put aside his childish behavior and readied himself to kill. But Kennedie, she changed, which was what caused her own end. To tell you the truth, if Evan's death hadn't affected her so much, she would have probably been easily able to kill Marcus and I off and win the games. Well, maybe not Marcus, but I wouldn't have been able to fight her no matter how much I would try. I get too attached to people. And that's where I make a mental note to not get to know Derek; it will only make it worse if he dies.

"Ok, well I'm gonna go hit the hay. See you tomorrow." He says to me.

"See you." I reply. He leaves and I change into comfy clothes. I'm half asleep when Marcus walks in. I open my eyes back up and prop myself up on one elbow.

"So how'd it go?" I ask.

"I'm afraid that's confidential." He says, and I laugh.

"Did she try to fight you?" I ask.

"Nope, it went well." He says.

"Huh." Is all I say. I yawn and he slips under the covers with me. He kisses my forehead, and I'm out like a light.

The light of morning is just making its way into the darkness of the night. My eyes flutter open, and Marcus is already up and out. I look around the room, but he's not their. It makes me think of the day in the games, when I almost had a meltdown because I woke up alone. And with President Stone's threat, it makes me worry still. I haven't done anything that would harm them. I've kept my mouth shut, so let's hope Stone can keep up his end of the deal. I get in the shower, and when I'm done I smell like strawberries.

Marcus, Derek, and Emma are already here eating breakfast. Marcus and Derek greet me with a smile. Emma just glances and goes back to her meal.

"First day of training. What station are you two going to first?" I ask.

"What do you mean us two? I'm flying solo on this." Emma says.

"You two are going to be partners during the game, why wouldn't you train with each other?"

"Is their a rule that says we have to be partners?" She says, demanding.

"No, but it only makes sense." I retort. We argue about it, then Marcus steps in.

"Emma, come with me really quick." He says, and they step out into the hallway. The door closes behind them, and Derek chuckles.

"I told you." He says, and I roll my eyes. They walk back in, and take a seat. Emma looks directly at me with a snarky smile.

"Fine, we'll train together." She says. I look over at Marcus, giving a questioning look. He just shrugs his shoulder and brushes it off, so I let it go. No use in fixing something that's working well enough to function. We finish our meal, and take DeAnne meets us at the elevator to escort Emma and Derek to the training center.

Training days go by slowly when you are stuck doing nothing. Marcus and I find stuff to do to occupy our time while Emma and Derek are in training. We spend a lot of time with Mary. She has the kind of personality that you can't help but like her. We meet some of the other mentors. Jack, the mentor from Georgia. Lisa, from Vermont, and Travis from Hawaii. A waiter brings in a plate of suger cookies, and I grab three. I eat one, and save the other two for Emma and Derek.

It's the last day of training, and I walk out of the mentor's lounge with Marcus. Emma and Derek are stepping off the elevator from training. We instructed them to work a little on their best stations, and I'm curious to find out what Emma's good at.

"Did you guys work at your best stations?" I ask. They both nod.

"Which were?" I say, hopeful that Emma will give me an answer.

"You know mine." Derek says.

"And Marcus knows mine." Emma replies.

"She went over to the axe station. She is really good." Derek says. This makes me stop in my track. The exact weapon that brought Sarah's end. I remember when I came back home and found an axe in the shed while I was looking for a box to store some stuff in. I had a meltdown when I saw it and father had to get rid of it.

"I am pretty good." Emma gloats. Sarcastic, rude, rebellious, hostile, strong-willed. Now I can add arrogant to the list of words to describe her. It seems wrong of me to judge her so easily, though.

"Right. Well, want a cookie?" I say, holding out the two. Derek snatches one out of my hand.

"My favorite." He says, shoving pieces of it in his mouth. Reluctantly, emma takes the other one.

"Tomorrow is your private training sessions. You will meet the other tributes for breakfast, and they will call you one at a time to impress the Gamemakers." Marcus tells them. They both nod, and retire to their rooms to get some sleep. I decide to get some sleep as well. We slip into bed, and Marcus falls asleep first. I try and fall asleep, but my mind is too busy thinking about the next few weeks ahead. Who knows how long they'll be in the arena.

Marcus starts to stir, mumbling under his breath, just like another time in the arena. I can't make out anything he's saying. He tosses and turns frantically, and I shake him awake.

"Marcus, honey, calm down." I whisper. His eyes burst open, but start to close back up.

"It was just a dream, go back to sleep." I say soothingly. I kiss his cheek and lay back down. Once my mind decides to take a break, I fall asleep.


	22. Chapter 23

Emma and Derek head down to the dining hall, and I wish them good luck.

"Thanks." Emma says, in a very flat tone. It's not sarcastic, and I think for a second that maybe she's warming up to me. The elevator door closes between us. We go and spend our time in the mentor's lounge with the others. They turn on the TV and a program is running with many people discussing who they think will get the highest scores. Emma's picture appears on a screen above the people's head, and they talk about what they think she will get.

"I've been keeping an eye on her. From the moment she was picked, I could tell she was feisty. Every other time we've seen her since, it only strengthens my resolve. I think she can match, or, score even higher than her mentor, Annelise Stague." One says.

"I agree. She's got what it takes to win this, and do it with a high score." Another adds.

"Well, I think she will get a very low score. She's feisty, but she is also very undisciplined. It takes more than attitude to get a high score." Another retorts.

Then they move on to another tribute, a boy from Mississippi. Now I'm wondering what Emma will get. They all had very good points. And, why not admit it? If she tried hard enough, she could easily pass up my score. But, she could just as easily throw it away. She could be in her rebellious mood and refuse to show them anything. Heck, knowing her, she might even try to fight one of the Gamemakers.

Emma and Derek must be done by now, so Marcus and I head to their rooms. Emma is eating lunch, and I walk in.

"How did it go?" I ask.

"Fine." She says. I don't even try to get more from her.

"Meet in my room, and we'll watch to see your scores." I say, and leave and go to Derek's room. I knock on the door and he opens the door. I ask him the same question.

"Eh. I threw a spear around. I have good aim, but I'm a little short when it comes to throwing distance." He tells me.

"Ok. Meet in my room before they announce the scores." I tell him.

He nods his head and shuts the door. Marcus and I walk back to my room, and he flips the TV on. He sits on the bed, and I lay down, putting my head on his lap while he plays with my hair. I doze off, and wake up when Emma and Derek walk in. They are just about to announce the scores, and I sit up, stretching my arms above my head.

We watch until their pictures pop up on the screen. The flashing scores pop up under their pictures. Derek, pulling a seven, and Emma, pulling a one.

My mouth drops open, and I stare at the screen in shock. I look over at Emma, who has a pleased smirk on her face.

"A one? How does someone even get a one?" I shout, "Do you think you're getting sponsors now!"

"I don't need them." She says, calmly. I look over at Marcus, who has wiped his face clean of emotion.

"Did you help her plan this?" I ask him. He stands up and rests his hands on my shoulders.

"Think about it, in terms of sponsors, that score won't get her squat. But in terms of survival, it can really help." He says. I have a confused look on my face and he explains some more.

"No one will bother going after her. They will be looking for those with the highest scores; they won't even pay any attention to her." He says, slowly. I let it sink in, and then I bite my lip. I wish I would have thought of that for Derek. I look over at him, and I can tell that he wishes he would have thought of that too. I'm not thinking strategically enough.

"Well, this has been fun. But I'm going to sleep." Emma says, getting up. I stop her.

"Wait, I just want to know one thing. How did you manage to get that score?" I ask. She rolls her eyes.

"It's not that hard. I took a dummy and smacked it a few times." She says, and I can't help but laugh. I let her go.

Tomorrow we will prepare them for their interviews. Marcus and I will train them on content, while DeAnne trains them on presentation. I chuckle when I think of DeAnne and Emma arguing over something ridiculous.

Marcus and I lay down, and he falls sleep, while I replay this week's events in my head.

They made a splash at the tribute parade, only because of their stylists' designs. However, Emma's hard-core attitude has actually won some people over. Derek wins people over with his nice-guy attitude, and a seven isn't a bad score. Emma might have disappointed some people with her score, but who cares? As long as she can make it out alive, no one will care what she got in training.

Then it occurs to me. A little sliver of something in me tells me something I refuse to listen to, but it does offer up an interesting point. Maybe Emma has what it takes to survive, but what about Derek? Sure, he's handy with a spear, but he said it himself that he can't throw it very far. Well what good is a spear that can't make it far against someone with a gun who can easily take you out farther than you can throw? Maybe he can hide more than direct confrontation.

Then another feeling swipes over me, and I can only describe it as shame. I'm laying here, weighing one of my tributes abilities over the other. They're going to be working together, and they can help each other out.

Thoughts bounce in my head all night, and eventually my mind shuts off, and I fall asleep, my head filling with pleasant dreams, for the first time in a while.


	23. Chapter 24

"No, Emma, don't answer the questions honestly. You'll get us all killed." I tell her.

"But doesn't the audience want to get to know me?" She asks, sarcastically.

"No. They want to get to know hard-core Emma, not 'I hate you all with a burning passion' Emma." I reply.

"Fine. Ask me another question."

"Ok, tell us, what do you like most about D.C.?"

"Nothing. It sucks." She says. I put my fingers on my temples and rub them, closing my eyes. This interview prep isn't going well, and Marcus isn't being helpful. He's just sitting back, laughing his head off.

"Just lie like crazy up their. I give up." I say. She lets out a laugh, more like an evil cackle, and replies,

"Fine. I'll retry answering that question," She puts both of her hands over her heart and bats her eyes,

"It's so beautiful, everyone is so sweet. I can't believe that I was lucky enough to come here." She says, and starts fake crying. I roll my eyes.

"I wouldn't call that hard-core. Don't lie like crazy; just sprinkle the truth with some lies." I say.

We work on that for another hour. I can't see her interviews going well.

"You can go to DeAnne now." I say. She gets up and walks out the door, and I let out a huff. I punch Marcus's, and he flinches.

"Ow. What was that for?" He says.

"You were absolutely no help. You're working with Derek, I need some fresh air." I say. Before he has time to object, I get up and walk to the balcony. The warm summer air and cool breeze hit my skin, and I fill my lungs with the smell of flowers from the garden below. I take a seat and stare out. I rub my stomach.

"Only four more months." I whisper, still looking out.

I decide I should go and check in on Marcus and Derek. I get up and slide open the glass door and step in, making my way to Marcus and Derek. I walk back in and they're sitting there, talking about who knows what.

"Look who's back." Marcus says with a smile. I smile back and sit back in the chair next to him.

"Did I miss anything?" I ask.

"Nothing really. We decided he should play the nice-guy angle. It just comes naturally to him." He tells me. I nod in agreement.

We ask some more questions for the remainder of the time, and he does well.

"Ok, looks like we're done here. Go ahead and get some rest." Marcus tells him.

He nods and gets up, going to his room. I wonder what DeAnne and Emma are up to, and shouting down the hallway answers that. I stand up and go to the door, peeking my head out. I see Emma in the middle of the hallway with DeAnne.

"I do not make faces! You're just annoying me!" Emma screams. I put my hand over my mouth and hold back laughter. At least someone had the guts to say it.

"Emma, we are trying to make you presentable for your interviews. I'm just pointing out your flaws that can be fixed." DeAnne says, and this sets off something in Emma. Her expression changes from annoyed to infuriated, and her face is actually turning a shade of red.

"My flaws? Really? I'm sorry that some of us aren't some prissy perfectionists. You want to fix flaws? Start with your own. For one thing, work on that annoying voice of yours." She screams back, mimicking DeAnne's voice. DeAnne has an appalled look on her face.

"This is over, there is no helping you. I refuse to be insulted by the likes of you." DeAnne says, storming off.

"Fine by me, I refuse to deal with the likes of you." And she storms off to her room, slamming the door. DeAnne walks past me and stops.

"That girl is horrible! I can't deal with her any longer, I'll be glad to see her go into that arena." She says. I don't know why, but this rubs me the wrong way.

"That's low, even for you. What kind of low-life human being wishes that on someone? You know what DeAnne? You-" I start to yell, but Marcus cuts me off.

"What she's trying to say is she thinks you should try and work things out calmly with Emma." He says.

"No, that's not at all what I was saying. I'm saying-" He puts his hand over my mouth, but I don't fight back. I think it's a better idea for him to stop me before I say something I might regret.

"I think you should go on." He tells DeAnne. She sticks her nose up in the air and walks away, murmuring something to herself. Marcus removes his hand after she disappears.

"I know Emma can be hard to deal with, but no one deserves this. She crossed the line." I tell him.

"She did, but there's no use crying over spilled milk." He says.

"Guess not." I say.

We head back to our room, where I jump in the shower. I come out and Marcus is already fast asleep. I don't feel tired, so I just lean up against the headboard, smoothing down his hair. I wonder if our kids will get his hair color. This sets off a train of thoughts. First what they will look like, their futures, which leads to a worry I've had ever since these games began. I don't want them involved in these games. I want them to be able to grit their teeth, watch the games because they have to, and move on with their lives. Not spend any waking moment wondering if they will see the sunrise the next day.


	24. Chapter 25

I get, at most, two hours of sleep. I stayed up the entire night lost in my thoughts. Marcus wakes me up when the prep teams start working on Emma and Derek. I have to get ready for the interviews myself. But thankfully, Amber comes in and offers to do my hair and makeup while she's waiting for Emma to be finished. She straightens my hair and pins half of it up. I keep having to wake myself up while she doing this, but my eyes refuse to stay open for more than ten seconds.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Amber asks.

"Not really." I say, and a yawn slips out with it. I would love nothing more than to be able to go back to sleep, but unfortunately, I have to attend the interviews. Lori comes in to get Amber.

"Duty calls." Amber says, putting the final touches of makeup on me. I put on a white dress and get Marcus, who is already dressed and ready. I grab his hand when I remember something. I saw a coffee machine in the mentor's lounge, and I bet one cup will keep me awake for the interviews.

"Hey, I'm going to go grab some coffee from the lounge real quick." I tell him, but he stops me.

"No you're not. Caffeine is bad for them." He says, patting my stomach.

"I'm sure one little cup isn't going to hurt." I say.

"You don't know that. You can make it without coffee." He retorts. I'm too tired to argue, and I know I'm not going to win this battle.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go." I say, grabbing his hand and roughly pulling him out.

"Annelise, maybe some shoes?" He asks, and I look down at my bare feet.

"Oh, right." I say. I go back in and grab a pair of matching white flats. I look over at the bed, and its almost mocking me. I resist the urge to lie back down, and I dart out the door and shut it behind me. We make our way over to the elevator, where Emma and Derek wait. Emma is in a sleek pink dress that is tight fitted and ends at her knees. he sides of the dress are see-through. The dress is paired with gold high heels and matching gold necklace. Derek is in wearing a suit, and gold tie.

"You and Jonas like matching your tributes, don't you?" I ask her, teasingly. She laughs.

"Speaking of Jonas, where is he? I haven't seen him in a while." Marcus says. Jonas was Marcus's stylist.

"Did someone say my name?" Jonas says, popping his head out of a door. He steps out with a smile. He is a tall man, and he obviously follows crazy fashion. He must be wearing colored contacts, because his eyes are an unnatural golden color. His hair is dyed to match, and he wears a crazy outfit. It's a one piece suit, but I can only describe it as metallic silver. He looks freakish compared to Amber; where the only alteration to her appearance is her deep red lipstick and mascara. Even his clothes are odd, where amber has on her usual black cropped jacket, white tank top and black pants.

"Good to see you again Marcus." Jonas says, shaking Marcus's hand.

"Same here." Marcus replies. DeAnne makes another appearance, and shoots a disgusted look at Emma, then me. I roll my eyes and brush it off.

"We must be going if we want to make it in time." She says. So we pile into the elevator and I punch in the floor number. It drops down and opens up into a huge room with cameras spread around, not wanting to miss anything. Emma and Derek go to take their place in the tributes section, Amber and Jonas go to the section for stylists, and DeAnne goes with all the escorts. Marcus and I go sit next to Mary in the mentor's section, and Wesley Owens bounces on stage. His hair is still jet black, and he is wearing the same outfit as last year, but the yellow flower in his lapel has been switched for a purple one. He greets the crowd and settles them.

Someone starts counting backwards from 5 and then yells "Action!"

Wesley introduces himself and begins calling up the tributes one by one. Fatigue kicks in and I lay my head on Marcus's shoulder. I try to stay up, but I doze off. He doesn't wake me until Emma is called up on stage. I flinch when he wakes me, and I sit up straight, shaking my head to wake myself up.

Emma walks on the stage confidently. Wesley holds out his hand to shake her's, but she just takes a seat.

"Alright," He says, sitting back down, "Hello Emma."

"Hi." Emma says quickly. He seems to not know how to fill the awkward silence, so he starts asking questions.

"So Emma, can you tell us a little about your family?" She crosses her arms and leans back in her set, looking at Wesley.

"Sure. I have a mother. I did have a dad, and I don't have any brothers or sisters." She says casually.

"Did? What happened?" He asks, trying to start up more conversation.

"Oh, a few people in this room know." She says, and her eyes search the room landing on a balcony high above everyone where the president is sitting. I look up, and he has an unpleased look on his face, and he is glaring at Emma. Wesley follows where she's looking, then quickly changes the subject.

"Tell us a little about your training score. A one. That's the lowest you can get. How…" A few snickers from the tributes rise up. He can't think of how to finish that sentence.

"That's just a number," she starts, and a smirk crosses her face and she looks down into the crowd of tributes, "it means next to nothing."

"I'm not so sure, it can be a big deal in terms of sponsors." Wesley counters.

"Sure, but I don't need sponsors. Half of the tributes in this room wouldn't make it in these games without assistance." She says.

"Yea, I'm sure no one is going to bother going after her now." I whisper in to Marcus's ear, a hint of anger in my voice. He doesn't reply, and he keeps his eyes on the stage.

"Well you are feisty. Good luck tomorrow." He says, and then the buzzer goes off. She steps off the stage, with a cocky smile on her face. Wesley calls Derek to the stage and he walks up. He shakes Wesley's hand and takes a seat.

"Hello Derek. How are you faring?"

"Great, thanks. And you?" Derek responds.

"Fantastic. So let's get to know you. Tell us about your family."

"Ok, it's my father, mother, and younger brother. He's only ten."

"Did they come and visit you during your visiting hour?"

"Yep. We didn't get much talking done. They wished me luck and gave me this," he says, and pulls something out of his pocket. It's a keychain, and has a stone carved into the shape of a star.

"It was my great grandpas. It was his good-luck charm."

"That's sweet. So tell us; what do you think of your fellow tribute, Emma?" He asks. Derek laughs.

"I can't answer that honestly, she'll kill me herself." He says, and the crowd joins in on his laughter. Wesley continues asking him some general questions, and Derek gets a lot of laughs out of the crowd. His buzzer goes off, and Wesley thanks him. Almost immediately, I lay my head back on Marcus's shoulder and doze off. Too soon the interviews are over, and I'm woken back up. I open my eyes, and almost everyone is gone. I'm still sleepy and I hold my arms out.

"Will you carry me?" I ask, and I sound like a five year old. He chuckles.

"Sure." He replies. I stand up, and he carries me in both his arms. I lay my head on his chest, falling back asleep.


	25. Chapter 26

I wake up and feel better rested. I wake Marcus and we get up. Today's the day. I go to wake up Emma and Derek, who are both already awake.

"Didn't get any sleep?" I ask. They both shake their heads.

"Go ahead and get cleaned up. You're set to leave in an hour." I say, and they do. I go back to my room, where breakfast waits. I scarf it down.

I am not excited about today, and everyone is wearing a look of dread. I think back to this time last year, how scared I was. I look back to Marcus, who is lost in his thoughts. I wonder if he's thinking about what they're going to be thrown into. I know I am.

Time passes too quickly, because its time for Emma and Derek to leave. We get up and meet them at the elevator. Amber and Jonas are with them, and they will go with them until their final seconds outside the arena.

"Amber and Jonas will be with you guys until the last minute, but we have to stay here. Good luck." I say, barely audible. And to my surprise, Emma holds out her hand. I look down at it unsure, but I give her hand a sturdy shake.

"Stay safe. Remember, water and shelter is your number one priorities. Stay together." I say, and they nod. Amber ushers them into the elevator and I watch the doors slide together. All the mentors are supposed to meet in the lounge, so we go there.

We walk in and take a seat on the couch specifically marked for Kentucky's mentors. The individual screens are turned off, but the big screen in the front of the room is on, and they have a program on that's playing highlights from last year's games. Of course, being the victors, we are on there a lot, but they don't skip Sarah's, Kennedie's, Evan's, or Jake's death. I bury my face in my hands when they start to play them. I see them all the time in my dreams; I don't need to see them now. I feel like I might start crying, but I don't want to seem unstable or weak in front of the other mentors. So I just lift myself up, clench my teeth, and finish watching. It's hard, but I manage.

Once the program is over, they turn the TV off. All the mentors are in their seats. I hear the door open, and I look back to see President Stone standing in the doorway. Everyone starts to clap, and I force my hands to clap. He walks to the front of the room,

"Thank you, thank you. Today is a big day for us, the first day of the Hunger Games! I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret, we learned from last year, and we have plenty of new tricks up our sleeves." He says. I hear a few oohs and aahs from the other mentors, but all I'm thinking is that it's more terrible ways to watch innocent kids die.

"I just wanted to wish you and your tributes good luck," he looks directly at me, "and Happy Hunger Games!" He says, and everyone claps as he walks out. Happy? There's nothing happy about it. I notice something that's on the wall to my left, and its counting down. 25 minutes, 56 seconds it says. It must be counting down to the start of the games, and I watch the seconds tick away. Everyone else is chatting away, but I'm just watching the countdown. 'A watched clock never moves,' my mother used to say, and I'm hoping maybe it will stop all together, but of course, it only seems to move faster instead. Before I know it, it's down to five minute, and everyone is taking their seats. My individual screen flashes on, and it starts talking.

"Welcome. Please say your name into the microphone," and a little microphone pops out on the top.

"Annelise." I say.

"Hello, Annelise," it says in a metallic voice, "please scan your hand on the screen." It says, and I place my hand on the screen. It scans my hand, than the metallic voice comes back on.

"Thank you. Hand recognition confirmed. Only you are allowed to use this screen." It tells me. I guess they needed to make sure other mentors wouldn't sabotage other mentor's tributes. I look over at Marcus, who had to do the same thing. The screens are white, and I look back over at the countdown. One minute left. The screen in the front of the room flashes on, and it is two newscasters.

"Welcome, America, to this year's Hunger Games!" One says.

"We are moments away from the start of the games, and the tributes are preparing to launch. Let the games begin!" The other says. Then we see the arena before the tributes start rising up. The cornucopia is in an open field, and to the right is forest, with a mountain in the back. Farther back to the left is more forest. The arena this year looks stunning with the mountain, but then I'm reminded it's probably twice as dangerous.

The tributes rise on their plates, and our individual screens come on. Its split into two different pictures, Emma on one side, Derek on the other. I look over to Marcus's screen, and its set up the same way, but you can change it to focus on one tribute at a time. Emma and Derek are next to each other. All the tributes are wearing thick black coats, tan pants, and sturdy leather boots. The golden cornucopia is stocked with weapons and supplies, all spilling out from the mouth.

A voice booms out in the arena, Fredrick Swill, and he says,

"Let the games begin! Remain on your plates for sixty seconds." He says. Then another voice booms out, counting backwards from sixty. I hold my breath as the last few seconds tick away, and I stare at my screen in anticipation.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.


	26. Chapter 27

A gong rings and the tributes take off. Emma dashes towards a backpack and grabs two knives. Derek manages to grab a small pack and a spear. Emma takes off in the direction of the mountain, escaping confrontation with another tribute. She is really fast. All the while Derek has to fight of a girl to get his spear. She got her hands on a dagger, and tries stabbing Derek, but he quickly dodges it, grabs his spear, and thrusts it through the girl's stomach. He gets up and takes off in the same direction as Emma.

They managed to escape the Cornucopia without a scratch, and Derek is close behind Emma. They run for a few hours, and then the cannons start to fire. Emma crawls up a tree to count, and Derek follows. She mumbles something under her breath, but I don't quite catch it. He perches himself on the branch under Emma, and they count the cannons.

"Fifty-five." Emma says.

"Yep. Let's keep going, then we can find water and shelter and look at our supplies." Derek says. Emma doesn't respond, and starts climbing down the tree, and Derek quickly follows. As soon as Emma hit's the ground, she dashes off. Derek takes off, trying to catch up with her. She hears him behind her, and turns her head to see him. She huffs and picks up the speed, but before she turns her head back, she trips over a rock and rolls across the ground. Derek holds back laughter and runs up to her. I'm laughing though, but stop myself. He holds out his hand to help her up.

"I'm fine." She says, ignoring any offer of help. She doesn't look very happy, but then again, she never does.

"Let's go." She brushes off her pants and jacket. They jog side by side, maintaining a steady pace for a while, putting as much distance between them and other tributes. I look around, and the amount of people in the room has decreased. I look over at Marcus,

"Where did everyone go?" I ask. I have been too captivated with watching Emma and Derek; I haven't bothered to notice anyone else.

"If both your tributes die before it's over, you're allowed to leave." He responds.

"But you still have to watch the games, right?" I ask, and he nods in confirmation.

I turn my attention back to the screen. I wonder if they have any sponsors. Fearing that they won't, I hesitantly tap the sponsor icon. To my surprise, Derek has a few, and Emma has a lot more than I could have hoped for. My face lights up, and Marcus notices. He leans over and looks at my screen, and the corners of his mouth curl up. He must be surprised too.

I look up at the clock that had the countdown, and it now has the death toll. 55 so far. I look, and Mary is still here. My attention draws back on the screen, and Derek and Emma are still going. The sun is already starting to set, sending rays of color across the sky.

"I don't see any water. We can set up camp in the forest and look tomorrow." Emma says.

"We need to find a good spot. I'll take first watch." Derek says.

"No, I will." Emma retorts.

"No you won't, I can already tell you're tired." He says.

"No I'm not. Let me go first." She says. Why is she fighting it? Just get a few hours of sleep, what difference does it make? She must have some plan working in her head.

"No." Derek says firmly. Emma keeps on, but all Derek repeats is 'no'. She gives up after much arguing. They search for a good spot, and settle at the base of a large tree.

"Let's go through our stuff." Derek suggests. They empty out their bags. Derek has a water pouch, some bandages, and a pack of dried fruit. Emma has a sleeping bag, matches, a coil of wire, a bone dry water bottle, and a pack of trail mix. They carefully store everything back in their packs, and Emma spreads the sleeping bag out and slides inside. She pulls her hood up over her head and buries her face in the bag, blocking her face out from the cameras.

I start to feel tired myself, so I get up and start to head out. Marcus follows, and I don't say anything before I collapse into his arms and shut my eyes. I only get about six hours of sleep, and when I wake I can't take the suspense and go to the mentor's lounge. Marcus is still asleep when I leave, and I don't bother him. I walk through the door, where a few of the other mentors sit. I take my seat and tap my screen, bringing it back to life. Derek is still awake, but he is struggling to keep awake. He rouses Emma up, and they immediately continue on to look for water.

On their trek through the forest, they come face to face with another tribute. He is a male, and only looks twelve. The boy's eyes widen when he sees them, but he must be paralyzed with fear and doesn't move. Emma chucks her knife at him and to her surprise, he dodges it. Her knife lodges in a tree, leaving her with only one. The boy comes up with a knife too and charges after her. She is still in shock, and Derek pushes her out of the boy's path. He quickly grabs his spear and throws it at the boy, and it makes its way through the boy's skull. His cannon goes off, and Derek retrieves his spear. Emma is sitting on the ground, and anger flushes out the surprised look on her face.

"Stupid! Why did I freeze up like that!" She says to herself.

"You underestimated him. Never underestimate anyone in here." Derek says. It seems to calm her some.

"You look tired; we can search for water after you have some sleep." She says. Derek doesn't object, and lies up against a tree, falling quickly asleep. By this point, Marcus has joined me.

"Oh, hi. I didn't notice you came in." I say.

"Did I miss anything?"

"They ran into another tribute, but they took care of it." I say. I lean my head on his shoulder, and his arm goes around me. We keep a close eye on our screens, though there isn't anything to watch. Emma looks like she is contemplating something in her head.


	27. Chapter 28

Just as everything seems calm on the screen, Emma does something that has me momentarily confused. She grabs her backpack, takes out half of her food, a knife, and a few matches and lays them next to Derek.

Then, she flings the backpack over her shoulder and dashes away.

"What is she doing!" I say, lifting my head up from his shoulder.

"Is she leaving him? Why would she do that?" I continue. Marcus doesn't make eye contact, and I know he knows something.

"Marcus?" I say, hoping he didn't know her intentions.

"I told her she could if she wanted to." He finally says. I'm in shock. I throw his arm off of me and stand up.

"You what! Is that what you told her that one day before training? Is that why she changed her mind?" I shout, and other mentor's eyes fall on us, but I don't care. Marcus stands up.

"Lower your voice. It was the only way I could get her to let us help her." He says through clenched teeth.

"So she's just going to leave him alone? Why would she leave the only person in that arena she could trust!" I say, my voice not lowering, but getting higher. Before Marcus can answer, I turn and start to head out. Marcus grabs my hand.

"Annelise, you're being unreasonable." He says, his voice rising too. I jerk my hand free from his and continue on, making sure to slam the door behind me. I walk, more like stomp, to my room. I slam my door behind me and rush to the bed and sit on it. I feel a mix of emotions right now. Frustrated, I take a pillow and fling it across the room, effectively knocking a vase of lilies on the ground and breaking it into hundreds of pieces. I hear a knock at the door, and I expect it to be Marcus, but instead Mary steps in.

"Hey sweetie. Do you need to talk to someone?" She offers. I shake my head.

"I just need to cool off. But thank you." I say. She nods her head, and then her eyes are drawn to the vase.

"I'll get someone to come in and clean that right up." She says. I thank her again and she walks out. I fall back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. A few minutes pass, but I know I need to be in there, watching Emma and Derek.

_What's the point? Derek is almost as good as dead without Emma, _I think, but quickly push it away, because that's no way to be thinking. I rise up and open the door, where someone stands. I point over to the corner of the room.

"It's over there." I say. The man nods and goes over to the mess and starts sweeping it up. I head back through the door to the mentor's lounge. Some people look up at me, probably waiting to see if I'm going to start yelling or something, but I ignore them and sit back down on the couch. I sit as far away from Marcus as possible, and never take my eyes off the screen, but I can feel his eyes on me. A waiter offers me some a glass of water and I kindly accept it and take some sips.

I sit the glass on the table and lean my cheek on my hand, watching the screen. Emma is still running, only stopping to check for pursuers. She makes the trek up the mountain and finds flat ground, where she lays down her sleeping bag. The area has some grass that covers her up pretty well when she lays down. I look on the screen at Derek, who is still sleeping, unaware of what he's going to wake up to. Emma continues her trip until she gets tired. As soon as Emma falls asleep, I get up from the couch and prepare to walk out the door to go to bed. Marcus gets up to and follows me. Once we're to my door, he grabs my hand again.

"Annelise, I know you're mad, but can you at least let me explain myself?" He says.

I turn around.

"There's nothing to explain. You put their lives at risk just so you could get her to put up with us. We're in this together, and you went behind my back." I say. I glare at him, and he looks down. I wait for him to respond, but he doesn't, so I open my door. I step in and he stands their, looking at me with his crystal blue eyes. I shut the door in his face and rush over to my bed, where the tears start flowing. I hate fighting with him, but what he did wasn't right, and he knows it.

I cry myself to sleep, where thankfully no dreams come into my head. I wake up and stare across from me. It feels wrong, almost alien, to not have Marcus beside me. My anger has not diminished though. I drag myself out of bed and into the shower. I clean myself and step out, slipping on random clothes. I make my way out of my room and to the mentor's lounge. Marcus isn't their yet, and I actually feel relieved. I take my seat and look at the screen, where I find Derek already up. He must be looking for Emma, because he is running around, looking frantically in all directions.

I feel horrible and to cheer him up I send him a gift. I touch the icon on the screen and skim down the list, where I find someone has offered a plate of one dozen sugar cookies. He told me they were his favorite once, so I touch them and watch the silver parachute fall down in front of him.

He runs over and picks up the plate. A small smile forms on his face, and he picks one up and stuffs it in his mouth, storing the rest for later. He seems unsure of his next move, but he decides to travel deeper into the forest. He knows he needs to find water, and soon enough finds a small pond.

I flashback to the time spent with Marcus by the pond in our games. And almost on cue, Marcus walks in and takes his place on the couch. He avoids looking at me. I turn my attention back to Derek, who starts a fire.

_Derek! What are you doing? _I think, as if he could hear me. There are too many tributes to be starting fires. While the fire is going, he grabs some supplies. He cuts away two pieces of bark from a birch tree and rolls one into a funnel. He grabs a vine growing on a tree and wraps it around the funnel, securing it. Then, he goes to the edge of the pond and fills his pouch with water, and then grabs some small rocks and puts them in the funnel. I have no idea what he's doing, but I'm interested in finding out.

Next, he gathers up some grass and places half of it in the funnel over the stones. He looks around, then his head turns up to the sky.

"Can I get some sand here?" He says, and I know he's talking to me. I don't know what he needs sand for, but I look through the list of sponsor gifts. Sure enough, a jar of sand pops up as an option and I tap it. It lands in front of him and he smiles.

"Thanks." He says. He pours half the sand in the funnel, and then makes his way to the fire. He takes the other piece of bark and scoops up some of the coals from the fire. He pours some of the water over them, causing them to sizzle. He lets them cool off for a little longer before he puts them in the funnel. He repeats the process, grass, sand, coals. He holds it out, admiring his work. I have no idea what he made, but he seems to know what he's doing.

He takes the jar that contained the sand and fills it with the pond water and empties out his pouch. He dumps a jar full of water through the cone a few times, and it pours out onto the ground. Then it hits me with what he's doing. I remember seeing someone make this in training last year. He made a water filter. Once the water starts coming out clear, he pours another jar full into it, and puts his water pouch under the open hole at the end of the funnel.

Seven cannons go off in a period of five minutes, bringing the death toll to sixty-two. Half of the tributes are already gone. I check up on Emma, who is still fast asleep. Its funny, she looks less hateful asleep. I realize that I'm hungry and order breakfast. A waiter brings my order almost immediately and sits it on the table. I thank him and take some bites of it. I look up at the giant screen in the front of the room, where they are playing the games that everyone in the country is seeing.

A fight is going on between three tributes, two against one. A girl, probably only thirteen, is killed almost immediately, and her partner kills the boy who killed her. Her partner looks to be about eighteen. Two cannons fire and he runs off. I look back at my screen where the sound of the cannons has woken Emma up. She doesn't waste any time, and immediately rolls up her sleeping bag, grabs her backpack, and heads farther up the mountain. She climbs for an hour, before she finds a spring. She collapses on the ground and plunges her water container into the spring and takes a few huge gulps.

She doesn't bother to purify it or show any self control by taking small sips. She lies on the ground with her water container in her hand, staring up at the sky.

And that's when a tribute, twice her size, steps out into the opening. He has a club with spikes sticking out around it. He locks his eyes on Emma and takes off towards her. By now, Emma has just realized he was there and jumps up with her knife. He reaches her and takes a swing, but she ducks, and cuts open his legs. He yells out in pain, but doesn't fall down. Instead, he kicks Emma in the head, effectively causing her to fall to the ground, her nose gushing out blood. He stands over her, about to hit her with his club, when an arrow enters his skull.

He falls over, dead. His cannon goes off, and Emma wipes the blood from her face, but her nose is still bleeding like crazy.

A girl, who looks about sixteen steps out. She has dark hair and light blue, maybe gray, eyes. She has a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back.

"Thanks for saving me." Emma says. The girl steps closer.

"I'm Taylor. Allies?" She says, holding out her hand to Emma. Emma looks at her hand unsure.

"Or I can just finish you off now." Taylor says with a smirk on her face. And for the first time, Emma actually lets out a small laugh. She places her hand in Taylor's, and says,

"Allies."

They sit down and they examine all their supplies.

"Maybe we should divide it all equally." Emma suggests. Taylor agrees and so they do. I turn my attention back to Derek, who is perched in a tree by the pond. In terms of survival, Derek has the upper hand. In terms of fighting, Emma has the upper hand.

I look over at Marcus, who is looking at me. My eyes immediately flick away and I get up and go to the bathroom. I'm still mad at him, but it's hard to stay mad at him. But I decide that he's the one who need to apologize, so I'm not speaking to him until then. Maybe I'm being unreasonable. Maybe it's just the baby hormones. Maybe we both just need a little time to simmer down.

I go back and watch them until they go to sleep, and I retire to my room too. It still doesn't feel right, not having Marcus lying next to me. He is so close, but yet he feels so distant. I wonder how he's taking this. Is he just giving me time to cool off? Is he truly mad at me? Does he hate me? No, I don't think he would hate me, right? I can't shake the feeling, no matter how hard I try. I know I was the one who started the fight, but did I hurt him, or anger him, so much that he could actually hate me? This question bounces through my head all night, and haunts my dreams. I wake in the middle of the night, my face and pillow damp from tears. I'm still crying, but eventually I fall back asleep.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: See what I did there with Taylor ;D _**

**_Thank you guys a million times for the reviews._**

**_47... I repeat, 47! Thats already more than the last one, well it was more than the last one like 20 reviews ago, but still!_**

**_You guys are the best!_**

**_XOXO ~Alexis2259_**


	28. Chapter 29

When I wake, I head straight to the bathroom. My face is red and blotchy from crying, but I don't care and head to the mentor's lounge. I go over to her and take a seat on the couch next to Mary.

"Hey sweetie, how're your tributes doing?" She asks. I can tell she knows I've been crying, but she doesn't bring it up.

"I can't exactly say. That's why Marcus and I got into a fight. He told one that they could leave the other." I say. She shakes her head.

"That ain't the brightest idea, but you can't control what they do once they're in their anyways." She says.

"Very true." I say. "So how are your tributes?"

"I only got one left. Her name is Taylor." She says. I look at her screen, and their she is walking with Emma.

"That's one of my tributes. Her name is Emma." I say, pointing to her. Its ironic, actually. Again, Kentucky and South Carolina have paired up in the games.

"Looks like we got ourselves a power alliance." She says, and I laugh.

They start back down the mountain, and Taylor calmly pulls out an arrow and draws her bow, and shoots down the mountain. A cannon fires, and Emma smiles.

"You have incredible aim." She says.

"Thanks. So where should we head off to?" Taylor asks.

"We can either go farther up the mountain, or head to the forest. Your pick."

"Lets find somewhere in the forest. I'm sure plenty of tributes are scaling this mountain." Emma nods and they head off. Halfway down, where Emma camped the other night, they come face to face with another pair.

The boy has a gun in his hand, and the girl only has a knife. Taylor quickly loads her bow, and takes the girl out without even blinking. The boy starts off towards them, and barely dodges Taylor's arrow, but he does. He slams into Taylor, knocking her to the edge of the mountain. She slips off, and hangs off the edge. They are very high up, and if she falls, she falls to her death. The boy stands over the edge and starts stomping on Taylor's fingers. She holds on with all her strength, but eventually her fingers start to give out. That's when Emma runs up behind the boy, shoving the knife in his back. She pulls it out, and pushes him off the cliff. His body slams into the ground, causing his cannon to fire. Emma quickly scrambles to help Taylor.

Once Taylor is back up and safe, Emma retrieves Taylor's arrow from the girl's body and the one that the boy dodged. She gets the girl's knife and sticks it in her pocket. Taylor lays on the ground, rubbing her fingers.

"Are you ok?" Emma says, holding out her hand to help Taylor up.

"I think so. Now we're even." She says. Taylor sticks the arrows back in her quiver and they continue on. I say goodbye to Mary and go back to check up on Derek. He is perched up in a tree, scoping out the area. He takes a few bites of another cookie and a sip of water. Another pair comes strolling through, no weapons in hand. Derek takes his spear and easily takes out the boy, and before the girl orients herself, he jumps down and slits her throat with his knife. Two cannons fire, and he yanks the spear out of the boy's body and scurries back up the tree.

He watches for a while, then he climbs down from the tree to hunt for some food. He moves through the forest quietly, until he spots a fat rabbit. His spear takes it out, and he keeps it on his spear, carrying it back to his tree.

Three cannons fire in the next hour, bringing the death toll to a total of seventy-four. I look over at Marcus, who's watching the big screen at the front of the room. He notices me out of the corner of his eye. I look away when he notices, acting like I was just looking around the room, but I know he doesn't buy it. Sitting here by him feels awkward. The other nights questions pop in my head, and it feels like two separate voices are in my head. One telling me I messed up, and he hates me. The other, reminding me everything will be ok, that he still loves me. They quarrel in my mind for a while, before I feel like I might go insane. I get up and go to the bathroom in the lounge, where I stand in front of the mirror. I look at my reflection, and _He hates you,_ _No, he doesn't_ keep playing in my head. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to mute the voices.

I open my eyes back up, and my ring catches my eye. I pull it off my finger, studying its beauty. The sapphire heart still shines brilliantly. The significance of the sapphire makes a small smile from on my face. The nickname Marcus gave me during our first games.

I study the ring, cupping it in my hand, when I notice something on the inside. Its engraved in small print. I pull it closer to my eyes so I can read what it says.

_I will love you forever, no matter what._

This silences the voices arguing in my head. I clutch the ring in my hand, holding it close to my chest. This ring is more than just a ring; it's a promise to be with each other through thick and thin. To support each other, to love each other. To stick together through the good times and the bad.

"No matter what." I whisper to myself. I slip the ring back on my finger, keeping in mind what this ring means. The voice saying he hates me starts to play, but its almost completely drowned out by the voice telling me he doesn't. I feel conflicted. _No matter what,_ I keep replaying in my head. I need to know his feelings, before these voices drive me insane. I take one more look in the mirror, run my fingers through my hair, and step out. Marcus must have gone somewhere, because he's not on the couch. I go sit down to wait for him.

While I'm waiting, I look at the screen and Emma is making her way through the forest with Taylor. Derek is by the edge of the pond, filtering some more water and putting it in his water pouch. I look back to Emma, and Taylor takes down a bird flying above them.

"We were low on food." She says. She hands the bird to Emma, who begins plucking the feathers off of it. I hear someone come into the lounge, and I look over. Marcus is standing in the doorway, watching the big screen. I stand up and start to walk towards him, and he is watching the screen so intently that I pause in my tracks and turn to watch.

Emma and Taylor are on the screen. This can only mean one thing. They're about to run into more tributes. I continue watching, because no matter how rude or hateful Emma is, I don't want to see her dead. The camera zooms out, and another tribute comes into view. I can't make it out, until they zoom in on his face.


	29. Chapter 30

"Emma?" Derek says. Before the words have enough time to fully escape his lips, Taylor sends one of her arrows flying into his chest. He collapses to the ground, and Emma's expression changes from shock to guilt. She runs over to him and holds his hand. He is fighting to stay alive, and she is on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." She keeps repeating. Derek says his final words,

"It's ok. Try and win."

"I will." She whispers. Derek's eyes flutter shut, and his cannon fires. Taylor stands awkwardly next to Emma, confused.

"Did you know him?" She asks.

"He was my partner." Emma says. She has gotten up, and has a stony expression to mask her true emotions. Taylor seems to feel bad.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's ok. Lets keep moving." Emma says. She doesn't look back, and keeps moving. Taylor doesn't know how to react, but she pulls her arrow out of Derek's body and follows.

I'm in shock myself, and I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes, making my vision blurry. I squeeze my eyes shut and push past Marcus and out the door. Whatever I was going to say to him will have to wait. I make a beeline for my room and sit down on the bed, where I start bawling. I know I need to be stronger, and I need to stop breaking down. If Emma doesn't win this, then I will have to get used to death until someone comes along that wins.

My door opens slowly, and Marcus steps in. He looks at me, waiting for my reaction. I don't hesitate to get up and walk towards him. I hug him, and his arms wrap around me immediately. We're as close as we can get with my bulging stomach, but I have missed being in his arms, surrounded by his warmth. I fit perfectly in his arms, and I know I was made to fit here. Just him holding me is enough to calm me down some. He kisses the top of my head.

"I've missed you so much." He says, and I lift my head up and look at him.

"So you don't hate me?" I whisper. He looks at me like I just said the most ridiculous thing, and then leans his forehead on mine.

"Of course I don't. What would make you think that? I still love you as much as ever, and nothing will ever change that." He says, and leans in and gives me a long kiss. I feel better instantly, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I suddenly forget all that's happening for a moment, and I'm filled with a moment of happiness.

I can feel myself smiling.

"I'm sorry for going behind your back and-" he starts, but I push myself up and kiss him again.

"Don't ruin the moment." I say, and he smiles. But unfortunately, we need to get back and watch Emma. She's our only hope now. I don't want to let go of him, but I force myself to. We go back to the mentor's lounge, hand in hand. We take our seat, our fingers still entwined. On screen, Emma and Taylor continue on deeper into the forest. They don't stop for anything, until Taylor suggests they set up camp for the night. Emma takes first watch, and Taylor slips into Emma's sleeping bag. Emma remains emotionless, but I know she must be fighting with some guilt. I almost feel bad that I'm happy right now, but I can't help it.

Marcus and I retire to my room to get some sleep. It feels good again to have him bye my side. My smile hasn't faded since we made up, and it promises to stay through the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter, im swamped with homework but wanted to get something up.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	30. Chapter 31

Taylor is leaned up against a tree, with her bow loaded and eyes wide and alert. Emma sleeps peacefully in her bag. It's an uneventful few hours, but two cannons go off. I look at the death toll. 76. Only 24 left. As soon as Emma wakes, they hunt for food. They move quietly through the forest, hiding in the shadows. Taylor takes down a turkey, and Emma gets a knife in a rabbit. They find a small pond, with water cascading down into it from the mountain. It would be a beautiful and relaxing place under different circumstances.

They sit and chat, cleaning the rabbit and turkey. It seems nice and calm, until they hear a noise and immediately jump up, their weapons poised to attack. A male tribute comes crashing out of the woods, axe in hand. I see Emma's face light up slightly, and I know she will do whatever it takes to get that axe. He doesn't run towards them, but stops in his tracks. He is looking behind them with wide, shocked eyes. They are confused for a moment, and no one moves. On the big screen, I can see it. A huge plant, or maybe some beast disguised as a plant, is right behind them with vines spreading out, squirming around.

They are just turning around when one of the vines wraps around Taylor's neck with a tight grip, lifting her off the ground. She puts her hands on the vines, trying to tug them off. She is struggling to breathe band fight her way out at the same time. The boy starts running, but another vine wraps around his ankles and trips him. It slithers around his body, cocooning him in vines.

He still has a tight grip on his axe, and tries hacking away at the vines, to no avail. Emma tries slicing the vines gripping Taylor, but her knife is too small, and another vine snatches it out of her hands. She looks around, not knowing what to do. She needs to do something, and fast, because Taylor is turning a shade of blue. If Emma doesn't get her free, asphyxiation will surely be her brutal ending.

She turns her attention to the other tribute, who is hanging upside down now, thrashing violently. She runs over to him.

"Give me the axe!" She shouts. He looks at her like she is some sort of alien.

"No!" He shouts back. She looks back at Taylor, who is starting to lose consciousness.

"Give me the axe and I will get you out of this and let you go, or I can let the plant take care of you and get it from your dead body!" She shouts.

The boy knows it's relentless to argue, although he isn't entirely convinced Emma will just let him go. He lets go of the axe and it drops to the ground. Emma swipes it up and charges towards the vines, slashing away at them. She makes her way to the thick vine that has Taylor in a choke hold. It takes several hits, but Emma lands on the same spot each time, until the axe sliced its way completely through. Taylor falls in an unconscious heap to the ground.

I realize I have an extremely tight grip on Marcus's hand, but he doesn't seem to mind. I let go and he rubs his hand to restore circulation.

"Sorry, I didn't notice I had such a tight grip." I admit. Then I turn my attention back to the screen.

Emma goes back to the boy, and with one swift motion, beheads him. At first I feel like that was a cheap shot and she told him she would let him go, but then again, you don't think about right and wrong in there. You just do what you have to to survive. His cannon goes off, and Emma goes back to Taylor, who hasn't regained consciousness. She is still breathing, which means the plant didn't do any irreversible damage, so Emma lays her down on the sleeping bag and cooks the meat. Her fire crafting skills are great, and she starts a fire quickly.

After some time, I don't know how long exactly, Taylor wakes up. She tries to speak, but it comes out hoarse and scratchy. Emma gives her some water.

"Don't try talking, let your throat rest." Emma tells her. Taylor nods her head and walks over to the fire. She takes some of the rabbit and turkey and eats. Emma purifies some water with some of Taylor's iodine. Already, the sun is turning a million colors, and they climb a tree to sleep in. They are very high up, but I doubt they would be spotted. They adjust the sleeping bag and Taylor slides in while Emma takes watch. Even with the thick jacket, Emma is shivering as the sun lowers.

I get up, my hand in Marcus's, and tug him along to my room. I lay my head on his chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart. I realize how much I miss home, our home. The one we only occupied for 11 days. Of course, I miss everyone back home too, but I'm happy knowing they're safe and they don't have to worry about our safety. I open up my locket and look at the pictures inside. It gives me a brief sense of home seeing them all, smiling.

I close the shiny gold locket and drift off, where a pleasant dream fills my head.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: 7 HOURS! IN SEVEN HOURS I WILL BE SITTING MY BUTT IN A MOVIE CHAIR WATCHING THE HUNGER GAMES! Extremely excited.**_

_**But here's this chapter, it's kind of short, but it's here!**_

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	31. Chapter 32

A family picnic in the woods, everyone smiling. We are all chasing each other around and having a great time. I sit down on a blanket, and a girl comes and sits in my lap. It's Sarah, happy and alive. No signs of the arena on her. I cradle her and feel happy. Marcus sits beside me staring at me like he couldn't be happier.

I wake up after that wonderful dream and the feeling of happiness quickly dissipates. It hits me like a ton of bricks when I realize Sarah is gone, never to return. Marcus is smiling at me when I wake up. He kisses my forehead.

"Did you have a good dream?"

"I did." I say, but I'm sure my face doesn't show it. He takes notice.

"Is everything ok?"

I take a deep breath and put on a small smile. "Everything's fine."

I think about the dream, hoping it will perk me up, but it only makes me feel worse. I need a distraction, so I get up and slip on some random clothes.

I follow Marcus to the mentor's lounge and take my place in front of my screen. I tap it and it flashes back on, greeting me. Emma is dozing off in the tree, and Taylor is still asleep.

Emma starts to fall backwards out of the tree, but catches herself. She wakes up Taylor to take watch while she sleeps. They switch places, and Taylor keeps a sharp eye out. They sit for a while doing nothing, and I watch the big screen in the front.

Two male tributes are fighting, one equipped with a mace and the other only a rock. Though it is clear the boy with the mace is incompetent with it. He takes a swing at the other, who dodges it. The mace flies out of his hands, then the other pounces on him, beating him with the rock. He is screaming in pain, and blood is splattering everywhere. He doesn't stop until he is dead. His cannon fires and the other takes off.

This makes me realize how cruel this can be for some of them. Some are lucky enough to get a fast, painless death, while others suffer. Even though I have killed people in the arena, I did it so they wouldn't suffer. No matter how much hate you have towards someone, or no matter how much you want them dead, I think it's wrong to make them suffer. Just finish them off quickly and continue on.

Not much action happens for the rest of the day. In fact, most everyone is hiding and settling in. Except for a group of three girls who are out searching for other tributes. I wonder how long they will get before the Gamemakers decide to spice it up.

Hours later, with nothing going on, I slip out with Marcus to my room. Maybe I will have another happy dream tonight. But when I close my eyes and fall asleep, I find I was horribly wrong.

I open my eyes, but Marcus isn't beside me. I panic and run out of my room. But it's not the hallway, it's the arena. I'm alone. I start running, hoping to find someone, and I do. Marcus is standing with Sarah, Evan, and Kennedie. They are covered in blood, covered in many wounds. I find myself calling out their names, and they start to surround me. They move with small, zombie like steps. I'm too shocked to move. As they get closer, the ground splits, and I fall down into the deep abyss.

I fall into what I think is water, until I notice the smell of blood, and the deep red color around me. I start to scream, but my throat is tight and nothing comes out. Everyone I know, and other tributes from the games last year, rise up and start to push me under. I thrash around, trying to come back up because I'm starting to drown in the pool of blood. The last thing I see before wake back up is President Stone's face with his warning, _And remember, I'm always watching._

I wake up, my eyes fixated on the ceiling. I must have been still, because Marcus is still sleeping, undisturbed. I feel empty. I can't process any feelings right now. I need some fresh air. I slip on a plush blue robe and head to the balcony. The sun is just rising over D.C., and the sky is a rosy pink color. The summer air is warm and smells of freshly cut grass. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent. I sit, gathering my thoughts, until I think I should go check up on Emma.

When I get there, Marcus is already sitting in front of his screen, watching her. I take my seat next to Marcus.

"On the balcony?" He asks, and I nod my head. He knows me well. My face is clean of emotions, and I don't feel any either. Marcus looks at me questioningly, but I only give my head a slight shake. I don't know why I feel like this. Usually those dreams leave me crying when I wake up, or just plain depressed all day, but it left me empty. I try and focus on what is going on onscreen, but there isn't much to focus on.

Emma and Taylor are out hunting, but by the looks of the big screen, that's the only action happening. Soon, the audience will get bored, and they will do something that will either draw the tributes together, or some big twist to kill some of them off. Mary comes over behind our couch. She asks us how we are doing and some other stuff, but I'm not really up for talking, so I let Marcus answer. I'm zoned out for most of the conversation, until Mary taps my shoulder.

"Don't you think?" She asks. I stare at her and blink.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." I say. She laughs and repeats herself.

"I said, do you think the Gamemakers have a little trick up their sleeves to get some action going?"

"Oh. Yes." Is all I can think to say. I mean, what else is there to say. But Mary is a talkative person, and she tries to start up more conversation. Though I think it's rude of me, I don't say much and ignore most of it. I give a nod here and there, but marcs does most of the talking for me. Mary goes back to her seat, and pats me on the shoulder as she leaves.

My attention is on the big screen, where an aerial view of the arena is showing. The whole arena is rumbling, and I look on my screen and see Emma and Taylor, who have no idea what's going on. I look back up at the big screen where the mountain, or should I say volcano, is starting to erupt.


	32. Chapter 33

Ashes and smoke billow from the top, then magma spews out. The lava moves fast, and Taylor and Emma realize exactly what's going on and they run away from it. On the big screen, I can see that a big proportion of the tributes were camped on or by the mountain, and it shows them being devoured in the extremely hot lava.

Taylor and Emma run fast, but the lava is flowing quickly and is catching up. They reach the Cornucopia and start to climb, just as the lava surrounds it. I don't know what the Cornucopia is made of, but it isn't melting. The shouts of the others as they are swallowed by the lava rings out.

A knife whizzes past Emma, barely missing her neck. They look around, but no tribute appears, but I can see that another male is hiding in the mouth of the Cornucopia. Emma walks to the side of the Cornucopia by the mouth and looks over. The boy springs up and jabs his knife into Emma's leg. She lets out a yelp of pain, but that doesn't stop her from using her other leg to kick him in his face. Taylor runs over to her side and sends her arrow into the boy's head. Quickly, before he falls, she rips it out, and he falls into the lava.

"I need to start keeping these. My supplies are low." She says. Only half a dozen left. They sit and count as the cannons start to fire.

"Seventeen. They're trying to finish us off fast." Emma says. Only five left now. They must know what they need to do now, but Taylor is the first to say it.

"Emma, we need to split up. I don't want it to come down to just us, and there are only 5 left." She says.

"I agree. But right now, were stuck here until this lava cools." She says, and extends out her hand to Taylor.

"Good luck." She says, and Taylor says the same. They sit in silence until the sun starts to set, and they both fall asleep. No use keeping watch, everyone is perched up in a tree or a tall rock away from the lava. Emma and Taylor seem to trust each other, but I'm not so sure. I think I'll stay in here and keep an eye out as long as I can.

Marcus gets up, but pauses when I don't.

"I'm staying in here for a while longer." I say.

"C'mon, nothing is going to happen. You need your sleep." He says. He waits, but I don't budge. He rolls his eyes and gives a huff of exasperation.

"Alright." He says and walks out. Everyone is slowly leaving the room, but I'm staying. Within an hour, I'm left alone in the room. Before I can even get up to go to bed, I fall asleep right there on the couch.

I wake up, and I'm still alone in the room and day is just breaking. I look at the big screen, and I don't know what the Gamemakers did, but all the lava from the arena is gone. In fact, the entire arena looks the same way it did in the beginning, no recognizable damage. Taylor has already taken off, and Emma is still asleep.

People start to come in, and Marcus comes in about an hour later.

"What happened last night? I waited for you for a while but you never showed." He says, and sits down next to me.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." I say. He sits down and pulls me next to him.

"You still look tired. Why don't you go get some sleep?" He asks, and I'm about to take him up on his offer, until Emma jumps awake when the anthem plays, then voice of Fredrick Swill booms out. He is inviting the tributes to a feast.

"We will be holding a feast at the Cornucopia at sun set. It seems most of you are low on food, and the recent eruption has killed off many of the animals. So we would like to invite you to get a chance to stock up on food. Good luck." He says, and the anthem plays again.

I guess that the lava wasn't enough entertainment for the audience. But then again, I guess to them it's not as fun watching everyone burn alive as it is watching them kill each other. Emma is contemplating on whether or not she should go. The whole time I'm thinking, _No don't go, its going to be a bloodbath, _as if she could hear my thoughts. But I think I know just the way to get her to know what I'm thinking. I tap the sponsor icon and send in a meal of chicken in a creamy orange sauce with rolls, complete with plates and silverware and plastic to wrap leftovers in. I hope she will see the strings attached, and I will gladly use up all her sponsors' gifts to keep her from that feast. The tray lands in front of her, and she looks up.

I can't tell fully, but I think she takes the hint. She takes a piece of the chicken and dunks it in the orange sauce. She takes a roll and rips off pieces, stuffing them in her mouth. The rest she wraps in the plastic. She clears out and heads into the forest, axe in hand. She finds a tree that towers over the others and has a full view of the Cornucopia. Probably to see what she will be up against. I wonder if Taylor will be going. She is very smart, that's for sure, so maybe she knows it could be a bad idea. But she has a huge advantage over everyone with her deadly accuracy with the bow and arrow.

At this moment, I realize Marcus is still next to me. If I get mad at him for making decisions without me, I'm sure he can do the same. Sure, sending her that isn't a big deal, and I doubt he cares, but I want to avoid another fight as much as possible.

"My bad. Was that ok?" I ask, almost child-like.

"Well it's too late now. Thanks for asking." He says with a straight face. I'm thinking he is mad, until he smiles.

"Just kidding." He says, and I smile back. As time passes, and the sun gets lower, the tributes all find their station at the Cornucopia. Taylor decided to go, and is hiding in a cluster of trees close by. The three others are prepared to dash off. The ground in front of the Cornucopia splits open and a large table rises, and I'm surprised when only a few loaves of bread and a few bags of beef jerky. I was right to keep Emma away; this isn't worth risking your life for, but other tributes think it is. Two male tributes are the first to reach the table, another female tribute close behind. Taylor takes out the girl with an arrow, and she falls to the ground, dead. Her cannon fires. The two boys are fighting each other with nothing but their fists. Taylor rushes in while they are fighting and grabs all the food, but leaves one loaf of bread and a bag of jerky. She takes back off into the forest, and she's gone before the boys realize she took most of the food.

One grabs the rest and starts to run off, when the other grabs him from behind. He doesn't hesitate to take the boy's head and slam it on the corner of the table, repeatedly. It's a bloody and gruesome death, and it sickens me that people are going to find amusement in it. His cannon fires and the other takes off into the woods.

This is the climax of the games. Three tributes, two of which were allies. I don't know what to think at this point. Of course, I want Emma to win, but if she can't, I would want Taylor to. Not just because she was her ally, but for Sarah.


	33. Chapter 34

_**A/N: Surprise! I decided to do this chapter in Marcus's point of view.**_

_**Why?**_

_**I don't know, but I'm gonna go with it :D**_

_**Sorry I have been falling behind on updating… I guess everyone decided that they want to drop a butt-load of stuff to do on me for spring, and now my mom is on her spring-cleaning kick.**_

_**There is nothing I hate more than cleaning… **_

_**Besides sock monkeys and porcelain dolls with giant eyes that don't move…**_

_**(T.M.I.!) Anyways, enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>~~Marcus's POV~~<p>

* * *

><p>Emma is still high in the tree.<p>

"Some feast…" She mumbles to herself. I look at the big screen, and I can see Taylor and the other male tribute's hiding spot. They are all spread out in three different locations, forming a triangle. Surely the Gamemakers are going to draw them together soon, how soon is a question I can't answer. Emma climbs down from her tree and lands on the ground. The male tribute, whose name comes on the screen as Trenton, is looking for the remaining tributes. Perhaps he only thinks Taylor is left since Emma didn't go to the feast.

Annelise is studying the screen intensely, like she always does. It almost makes me laugh when I see her. I grab her hand and pull it up to my lips. This breaks her from her trance and she looks up and flashes a smile. I can't help but smile back. She has such a beautiful smile. She scoots over and snuggles up to me, resting her head on my chest. I put my arm around her waist and hold her close to me. She looks up at me lovingly with her chocolate brown eyes, but soon they focus back on the screen.

Emma is walking around, surveying the area. On the other screen, Taylor is perched up on a cliff on the mountain. Trenton is headed in Taylor's direction. I have no interest in what happens to Taylor, so I focus back on Emma.

She looks around, and I can see something flicker across her eyes, and I think she has a plan coming up. She gathers tons of green wood and arranges it carefully in a teepee form. _That stuff is going to smoke like crazy! _I think. But maybe that's part of the plan she has…

She finishes arranging the wood and the kindling and throws a match in. Within minutes, a fire erupts and smoke starts to rise. She grabs her axe and walks to a tree close by and begins taking swings at it with her axe, until the tree is almost ready to fall over. What is she planning on doing? I look over at Annelise, who is watching the screen just as confused. Why is she giving up her location?

Trenton sees the smoke rising, and an evil smirk crosses his face. Does he honestly not even stop to consider that it's a trap? Wait, why do I care? I think it just gets to me how dumb people can be. I mean, stupidity is just as dangerous as any weapon.

Trenton is running towards the smoke now. I hope Emma knows what she is doing. Taylor is following it as well. The trip for both of them seems like an eternity, but is really only half an hour. And that's when they all meet by the fire.

Trenton stops and no one moves except Emma, who grabs her axe and hit's the tree once more. It falls and Trenton jumps out of the way just in time to not be smashed under it. I can tell Emma didn't plan for this, and she has no backup plan. The boy jumps over the tree and pounces on Emma. She puts up a fight, throwing punches, kicking, but she dropped her axe, and it's now a fight to get it. She gets out of his grasp and runs towards it, but Trenton grabs her and pushes her down to get it. She makes a quick recovery, but she is too late. He is standing over her, axe in hand with an evil grin.

Taylor, who was watching, draws her bow and sends an arrow flying right into Trenton's back. He collapses immediately with the sound of his cannon. Emma gets up and is face to face with Taylor. Annelise has a tight grip on my hand and I can tell she is holding her breath. Soon, someone is going to be dead, and the other crowned victor. Logic says Taylor will win, but of course, I want Emma to.

Taylor doesn't move, and neither does Emma. You can tell they have grown on each other, and this isn't going to be a happy ending. Emma throws down her axe.

"Taylor, go ahead and-" Emma starts.

"Emma, I can't kill you!" Taylor exclaims.

"I rather you kill me than the Gamemakers!" Emma retorts.

"But-" Taylor starts.

"No, just listen for a second. I have something to say before you finish me off." Says Emma.

I wait in anticipation. I know whatever she has to say can't be good if she wants to say it before she dies.

"I hope you're happy with this! I know you think this is how you think you are controlling the people from an uprising, but remember this: We're not giving up. Watch your back, Stone." She says. She starts to add more, but a tree falls and crushes onto her, ending her life.

Now she's done it. This won't be taken as some unreasonable words from a crazy girl. No, she meant every word and I'm sure they know that. I'm sure they triggered the tree to fall. Annelise is in shock, and she buries her face in my shirt. Taylor is in shock to, and collapses on her knees next to the tree, next to Emma's lifeless body. She is screaming, but her voice is soon drowned out.

"Congratulations to the winner of the 2nd annual Hunger Games, Taylor Lee!" Fredrick booms out. A helicopter takes Taylor away, and then the screen goes blank. It takes some coaxing to get Annelise out of my shirt, but she does.

"It's over Annelise. We can go home now." I tell her.

I don't want to be here a second longer, and I practically drag her along. She doesn't object though. I know she is missing home.

We are drove to the airport and put on a plane. I feel instantly better when I can't see D.C. anymore. Not much is said on the ride home. I don't feel like talking much. We eat, sleep, and when we wake up, we're met by our families at the airport. I love watching Annelise's face light up when she sees them, and I missed them too. Finally, we can go home. To our home. The ride back seems to take forever, but it ends and we're dropped off at our house. Tonight we are all having dinner here, but for now we have all day to ourselves.

"Welcome home." I say with a smile.

"It's good to be back." She replies, and wraps her arms around my neck. I lean down and kiss her, and like every kiss we share, I can feel a tingling sensation. We walk in the house, and it looks just like it did when we left. Soon, we will be required to watch the victor's interview, and hopefully that will be the last we will have to think about it for another 6 months. I don't like that we couldn't bring anyone home to take our place, but I'm sure we will one day.


	34. Chapter 35

"Ok Annelise. Breathe. 1...2...3, push." Dr. Hall tells me. This is an entirely new kind of pain. I let out a yelp and push.

"Good, one more time." She tells me again. I have a hold of Marcus's hand, and I'm squeezing it. I'm probably cutting off his circulation. He starts looking a little pale, and looks away. Then I hear the sound of a cry. I feel a smile cross my lips. Then I'm reminded that it's not over yet.

"Which one is it?" I ask, still breathing heavily.

"Jackson." Marcus replies. I let go of his hand, and he rubs it.

"Don't go yet, its not over." I say.

"I'm not going anywhere." He says. I know the pain is worth it, but I would prefer that it ends soon.

"Ok, Annelise, start pushing again." Doctor Hall says. I grab Marcus's hand again, and start pushing.

"There's the head. One more good push Annelise." She tells me. I muster up all my strength and give one last push.

I am instantly relieved at the sound of another cry. I loosen my grip on Marcus's hand, but I don't let go. I watch as a nurse wraps them in a blue, then pink blanket. She hands me both of them, and I fall in love. They are both so beautiful, and I start to cry tears of joy. I gently kiss both of their heads.

"Can you tell everyone to come in?" I ask Marcus. He smiles and goes to the door, calling everyone in. He rushes back and I hand him them both. He has the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face. Mother, father, Greg, Becca, Jane, Daniel, and Kaitlynn all enter the room.

"What are their names?" Jane asks."Sarah Ruby and Jackson David." I say. Father's face lights up when I say this.

"You named him after me?" He asks. I nod.

"It was Marcus's idea." I add. They all pass them around the room, smiling and talking to them.

"Annelise, I will need you and the babies to stay another day for observation." Doctor Hall says. I nod my head.

Marcus hands me Sarah and Jackson, and I cradle them in my arms. After nine months of wondering about them, they are finally here, in my arms. Two of the most beautiful people I have seen. The nurse hands me two bottles to feed them. Marcus takes Sarah and I hand him a bottle. He pulls up a chair next to my bed and sits down, feeding Sarah. I watch him, and he never takes his eyes off our baby girl's face. She opens her eyes, and there is no doubt they are Marcus's. Same beautiful crystal blue eyes. I feed Jackson, holding him close.

His eyes open too. His eyes are the same chocolate brown as mine. He finishes off the bottle quickly. Sarah is still working on hers.

"Hi Jackson. It's nice to finally meet you." I say in a quiet, soothing voice. Sarah finishes her bottle and we trade. She looks up at me, almost as if she already knows who I am. She closes her eyes and I hold onto her, as she falls asleep. I look over at Marcus, and see Jackson has fallen asleep too. Marcus's smile hasn't faded from his face, and he stares down at his baby boy. Everyone else is smiling too, watching the babies and us. Jane and Becca stand by the side of my bed.

"She looks just like you guys." Jane says.

"You think so?" I say.

"Yea, she does" Becca says, "So does Jackson."

Now that they're here, I just want to go home with them. We will be home soon, together, one big happy family. Marcus gets up and stands next to me, still holding Jackson.

"They're beautiful, just like their mom." He says. I smile and he leans down and gives me a kiss.

I stay in the hospital for another day, before I'm released and allowed home. I'm welcomed home with a small party with friends and family, all wanting to meet the babies. They even give me some gifts. Well, more for Sarah and Jackson.

This house starts to feel more like a home. Sounds of cries, laughter, and eventually the small pitter-patter of feet running around.

I stand in the entrance to their room, as they play with toy building blocks. Marcus comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck. We watch them together. Our beautiful children, without a care in the world, playing together, laughing together. Despite all that is going on in the world today, I couldn't ever be happier than I am when I'm with the people I love most in the world.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: :'D**_

_**Big thanks to my friend Alexis (Yea, we have the same name lol) for helping me write this chapter, since I pretty much had no idea how to go about writing it.**_

_**So, it's the end guys D': (minus the epilouge coming up) Thanks for everything, you guys are amazing!**_

_**Like, seriously, amazing!**_

_**If they had a scale of amazingness from 1-1000, you guys would make it to **_

**_Whatever number that was. I love you guys!_**

_**XOXO ~Alexis2259**_


	35. Epilogue

I watch them play in the woods.

Climbing trees, running around, playing.

Sarah with her dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes, and Jackson with his light brown hair and chocolate eyes.

They are both like me in so many ways.

Stubborn, impulsive, shy, kind.

Both look like me, but they look like their father too.

They have the amazing ability to cheer anyone up no matter what, just like their father.

They can make anyone laugh, like their father.

They are loyal, loving, and protective, just like their parents.

My fear of them going in to the games still lives and thrives as they grow older.

In four years, they will be twelve.

They both know the role Marcus and I play in them.

They're there to comfort me after each games, but I'm starting to get use to death.

Marcus and I have yet to bring another pair home.

He tells me it will be ok, that we will some day.

And I have hope that one day we will.

The nightmares continue on, worse as each year passes, when two more people join in.

But Marcus, Jackson, and Sarah are always there to comfort me.

To let me know we can get through it.

To let me know that everything will be ok.

That no matter how bad things are,

love, hope, and family will get you through it.


	36. AN

_**A/N: Guys, this is the end. I know, sad right? D':**_

_**I know some were asking for another sequel, but I am sad to report that this simply cannot be done. **_

_**I think it would just be really cheesy and the only plot I could come up with his really predictable, (I mean, what's left to do beside more Annelise/Marcus fluff and their kids.) I just think it ended well, and unless anyone has a really good idea for another one that I haven't already thought of as a possibility, then I'm going to leave good enough alone.**_

_**But thank you guys so much for everything! I really don't know how to thank you enough, but I just want to say you're the reason I do this! I love writing and all, but you guys are what pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and write! I cannot thank you enough for all the things you have said about my stories! **_

_**And in other news, I am currently working on another story, Hunger Games fan-fiction of course, called Switch Up. I like it, and I just thought you guys might like to check it out!**_

_**Again, I'm sorry, but as of right now I don't see another sequel, but who knows, maybe you're creative little minds might just come up with an awesome idea ;D**_

_**XOXO~ Alexis2259 **_


	37. ANOTHER AUTHORS NOTE

Hey y'all(:

So last night I was bored and I thought "Hey, why not read my old stories?" Yea, I know, I'm weird but to be honest, I miss Marcus and Annelise )':

While I was reading, the only thought that was going through my mind was how bad it was. I mean, maybe the plot wasn't horrible, but the writing itself was bad and it was kinda rushed if you ask me.

So I wanted to redeem myself :D

Call me crazy, but I have a perfectionist attitude and the entire time I was reading I was like, "WTF, what was I thinking? I need to fix it!" I decided I would be improving it! That's right, making it better, longer, and improving the writing style. Characters and plots will stay in place, so not too much will change, but a lot will be added. Wait, i guess that is changing it... You get my point. Everything that happened will happen, but more will happen to.

ANYWAYS...

What do you little Hunger Games historians think about that ;D

So if you liked it and would love to see a new and improved version, I'm going to be uploading it on another account. Look for candyapple2259. I figured if I tried my best, I could have the first chapter of the first one up by this time next week. Yea, I plan on doing it for both of them, so that's why this little author's note type thingy is on both.

Happy reading!


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